


Rose Tyler and the twin detectives

by silversurfer60



Category: Broadchurch, Doctor Who (2005), Gracepoint (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chameleon Arch, Crossover, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fobwatch, Pete's World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 10:52:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4177110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silversurfer60/pseuds/silversurfer60
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec Hardy gets on a plane to Gracepoint, disagrees over everything with Emmett Carver and they fight over Rose Tyler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alec Hardy wants to return to the Broadchurch Police but has already been replaced so he gets on a plane to a small town in the US called Gracepoint to work with Det. Emmett Carver unaware he is the man's double. The fun starts as they disagree over everything and fight over Rose Tyler, who is working in the town as a reporter, undercover for Torchwood. Crossover with Broadchurch/Gracepoint/Doctor Who.
> 
> Rose Tyler plays a very complicated and dangerous game when she meets Alec Hardy and Emmett Carver in the small town of Gracepoint after both detectives find themselves working at the same precinct and staying at the same hotel and Hardy sets out to steal Rose away from Carver but will Rose give up Carver's secret when Hardy tries to lure her away?
> 
> Set with Rose being in the middle of Hardy and Carver and having to choose only one unlike in 'Journey's End' when she was torn between two versions of The Doctor and had her choice made for her.
> 
> From Rose's point of view - she never gets back after Bad Wolf Bay.
> 
> Please excuse any spelling or grammatical mistakes, I am in the process of editing all the stories and it may take some time!

Rose Tyler had long wanted her stepfather to open a branch of Torchwood in the states but he has been reluctant so Pete Tyler had a contact at a local newspaper in the small town of Gracepoint, a northern Californian town and got Rose a job as a junior reporter/office girl and Rose had agreed to go. She missed the travelling she used to do with the Doctor so anywhere out of Britain was an adventure. So Pete had seen her off at the airport and waited with her until her departure. Now she had been in the town a week and was staying in the reasonably comfortable hotel a few blocks from the newspaper office.

Emmett Carver had a failed case and a failed marriage behind him when he was finally found another position as a senior detective but the only snag was, he had to move to northern California but it was better than staying where he was he supposed, with constant reminders of his past and a teenage daughter who wanted nothing to do with him. So the Gracepoint Police Department were putting him up in a local hotel until it was decided if he was going to remain there or not. He was hoping he wouldn't have to stay there, that somehow he would be reprieved and the whole sorry mess be sorted out and he would be able to return.

Alec Hardy had somehow against all odds been and had an operation for a pacemaker and had survived, much to the relief of his friend and ex-colleague Ellie Miller who had encouraged him to have the life-saving surgery but upon re-applying for his old job back at the Broadchurch Police Station, was told someone else had been given the job. The only alternative they could offer was to send him over to the USA on an exchange programme. He would spend six months there and then the job back at Broadchurch would be his as his replacement was six months from retirement. He only agreed after it was arranged he would share responsibilities with the Gracepoint Police Dept. lead detective.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

Rose noticed upon her arrival back from work one evening a man with a scruffy beard sat on his own at a table and Rose, always wanting to make new friends, decided to ask if she could join him. He somehow looked familiar but she had long since stopped seeing the Doctor in every man she looked at. She had figured that if he ever did find his way back, he would not disguise himself and hide from her.

"Hi, I'm Rose, may I join you?" she asked tentatively, thinking he would flatly refuse.

To her surprise, he invited her to join him and stood up. "Emmett Carver, nice to meet you Rose." He had noticed the attractive blonde had an English accent, very rare in these parts but a coincidence that the hotel owner was also English.

It was his first day there, he was to start work the next day and not looking forward to meeting the detective he was being assigned to work with the day after, who was arriving from England and had been assigned to work with him while the detective he was supposed to be working with was taking extended leave. It had all been so last minute, he'd barely had time to pack and make the journey. Him, share responsibilities, he'd see about that.

"So Rose, you're a long way from home. You're not related to Gemma out there are you?" Emmett asked, looking at the menu.

Rose laughed. "Not that I know about. I'm working at the local newspaper office, my stepfather knows the owner. Just wanted a change of pace. What about you?"

"I'm a detective, just transferred here."

They ate dinner together then he asked if he could buy her a drink. Rose was telling him about London and everything that was going on and Gemma, the hotel owner was watching them, sitting closely together and laughing until after ten when they got up and went upstairs together. Rose stopped outside her room door.

"This is me, thanks for the drinks Emmett. I noticed you weren't drinking much though, something wrong?"

Emmett didn't want to explain. "I'm starting a new job tomorrow Rose, need to have a clear head. Goodnight, it was nice meeting you." He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Goodnight Emmett," Rose replied, reaching up and kissing his cheek.

She had decided suddenly she had a liking for men with a scruffy beard. He also had brown eyes, much like the Doctor. Emmett let go of her hand and Rose went into her room, thinking he was kind of nice. She had never taken up with anyone since being in this universe, she hadn't found anyone she was interested in. That was up until now. Rose Tyler did not know just how complicated things were going to get as she got ready for bed.

The following morning, Rose joined Emmett for breakfast then wished him luck on his first day in a new job.

"Oh I expect to find it quiet and boring around here, just bide my time and get back to civilization, they can't keep me here forever."

Rose smiled. "I'm starting to like it here, being by the sea. I'm from London."

"Yes, you told me last night remember? Thought you only had two drinks? Well I'm not really one for the sea, we don't get along too well. That goes for any kind of water. I don't know why I let them send me here."

"Will you be working on your own Emmett?"

"I don't really like that name, do you have to keep saying it all the time?"

"What am I suppose to call you then?" Rose could think of a few words to describe him but non were repeatable.

"Detective will do, if you have to. You don't have to keep saying my name when you look at me, I know you're talking to me."

"Ok, have it your way, I won't keep saying your name every time I talk to you, I'll just say hey you," Rose laughed.

She actually got a smile out of him as he got up and said, "See you later, at dinner perhaps? That's if I don't work late."

"Don't work too hard on your first day, you might impress your new boss."

Emmett was smiling all the way down to the precinct, situated ironically by the edge of the water. Just his luck.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

On a plane over the Atlantic ocean, now somewhat more fashionable than they used to be since they could fly faster than the average zeppelin, Detective Inspector Alec Hardy was staring out at the clouds below, discovering he hated flying as much as he hated being on the water for longer than was absolutely necessary. The in-flight meal had been served, not that it was very nice and he settled back trying to get some sleep before he arrived in California and was transferred to his destination – the small coastal town of Gracepoint which was, according to what he had read, very similar in its coastline to Broadchurch. How he'd been talked into going there for six months to get his old job back, he didn't know but there had been few alternatives even though he had successfully solved the Danny Latimer case which was why he'd remained on half pay and his room kept at The Traders while he'd been in hospital. He guessed it was politics and good relations with neighbouring countries.

Alec finally arrived at his destination at 4pm local time, he'd lost track of what time it had been when he had left London after the 140 mile or so drive there but at least Ellie Miller had driven him to the airport, with her young son in the back making a noise all the way there and they had stayed until his flight was called. He had felt sorry for her being left with two boys to bring up on her own but there could never be anything between them, it was too awkward to start with but he just didn't feel that way towards her, they would be forever fighting for dominance, neither of them would win.

As he entered the hotel he got an unexpected greeting as he approached the reception desk with his large case and his holdall.

"Detective, what are you doing back? Did you have some more luggage forwarded to the precinct? You could have had it sent here you know."

Alec looked at the woman, English he noted and put her rather strange behaviour down to that fact.

"Excuse me?" he asked in a broad Scottish accent, putting his case handle down and the holdall on top of it. "I'm Alec Hardy, you have a reservation for me I believe?"

Gemma recovered and checked her bookings. "Yes, sorry Mr Hardy. You look just like one of our other guests, I thought you were him. He's just arrived as well. You're in room 107. Do you need a hand with your luggage?"

"No, I'll manage. Can I get something to eat? The food on the plane was terrible."

"Sure but you'll have to pay for it, dinner for guests is from 6pm to 7.30pm, breakfast is 8 until 9 in the morning."

"Fine, I'll take my case up first but I'll order now." He stepped over and picked up a menu and placed his order, thankful he could more or less eat anything now, within reason. All except food on planes, apparently.

He had just sat down at 4.30 when Rose Tyler walked in. She had escaped early, saying she had somewhere to go but she wanted to call her stepfather and since she could more or less work her own hours, had got away and was about to go upstairs when she saw Emmett sat at a table eating what looked like a steak. Rose knew that wasn't on the menu for guests that night plus it was early. She walked across into the restaurant and sat down opposite who she thought was Emmett and was about to take a French-fry from his plate but saw the look on his face.

"Watcha Emmett, those look good. Why are you eating early tonight? No lunch huh?" She held out her hand again but got the feeling he didn't want to share.

They had got on well last night, he'd bought her two drinks and they had walked upstairs together and had breakfast. What was wrong with him? Had he changed his mind or did he really not want to share? She was going to try to snog him later when he'd bought her another drink, he looked snogable.

"I'm sorry Miss, you must be mistaken, I'm not this 'Emmett' you mention. I'm trying to eat in case you hadn't noticed." Alec was annoyed his meal had been interrupted.

Rose got up. If that was how he wanted to play it fine, she wouldn't bother with the snogging now, his loss.

"Fine, be like that Emmett, don't expect me to sit with you at breakfast again." Rose walked off to sulk in her room. "Men."

Alec was at somewhat of a loss as to why a young attractive blonde would come up to his table and try to steal his French-fries and call him Emmett. Then it dawned on him – the detective he was to meet tomorrow and work with was called Emmett Carver and Alec knew he was in trouble. The hotel owner had called him detective, the young woman had called him Emmett – they must look like each other. Alec thought he was imagining things – this was not happening, how could they do this to him? How could his superiors send him here when the authorities here had Carver's record with his photo and they had been sent his dossier, were they playing some kind of cruel trick on the pair of them? If so, he wasn't amused in the slightest.

He went back to eating his meal and wondered who the blonde woman was. Was she this Carver's girlfriend? She had said she wouldn't be sitting with Carver at breakfast, maybe she was with him or had just met him. Either way, she was quite attractive and she sounded English, if she wasn't going to talk to Carver, she might talk to him but he was tired and needed an early night after his unpacking was done, he'd take a nice long hot shower and get some sleep and catch up on the time difference. He might see this woman at breakfast the next morning.

Rose went up to her room sulking. Who did he think he was? He buys her drinks, sits with her at dinner last night then again at breakfast and had let her kiss his cheek and now he was denying he was even Emmett? Maybe he was just annoyed she had called him by his name, she was going to tease him by using it all the time to get him going. Still, like she said, it was his loss.

She dialled her stepfather's number and got through to him. She normally emailed him if there was anything interesting or just to say hello if there wasn't but she called him once a week and caught up then called her mother. She had been hoping to tell her she'd met someone but that was on hold now. Maybe if he bought her some more drinks she might forgive him if he came to apologise but not tonight – tonight she would let him stew. There weren't that many female guests staying there.

Emmett Carver finished what he was doing, turned off his computer monitor and put on his coat. He walked the few blocks to the hotel and got a strange look from the hotel owner who just handed him his key. He walked upstairs and wondered if Rose was in her room. He was going to ask if she would go down to dinner with him. He was tired of being on his own and he could use a friend in this town, she would lighten up his mood after ploughing through paperwork all day and one false call-out. He stopped outside her room, he'd taken a note of it the night before when he'd kissed her hand and she had kissed his cheek and he hoped she would agree to just be his friend, lord knows anything other could possibly kill him.

He knocked on the door and Rose answered, a not so good look on her face.

"Hi Rose, will you have dinner with me again tonight?"

The door slammed in his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Emmett stepped back as the door slammed in his face – what was the blonde playing at? He'd had dinner with her last night, well not exactly, she had invited herself to sit at his table but he hadn't minded. It wasn't very often a blonde woman invited herself to sit with him, they normally avoided him like the plague. Then she had sat with him at breakfast and he had successfully avoided her questions, he was the one who asked all the questions, he wasn't used to answering them. Well if she wanted to play at being coy, then let her. He went to his room to take his pills and walked back downstairs to go get something to eat and if she tried to come and talk to him again then so be it but he wouldn't make it as easy for her this time.

Rose couldn't believe Emmett Carver had the nerve to knock on her room door and ask her to go down to dinner with him. What was he playing at and should he be eating again so soon after just finishing a rather large steak or was he just wanting to keep her company while she ate? Still, he had a cheek after denying he was even Emmett Carver, what was his game? She got changed and made her way downstairs to find him sitting at the same table as last night and he looked up when he saw her. She walked straight past him and sat a few tables away. She noted it only took him five minutes to get up and cross over to her table and sit down opposite her – he was playing games with her.

Alec Hardy had finished his meal and went to his room to start unpacking. His room was a far cry from his one at The Traders back in Broadchurch, this was heavily decorated in oak and he laughed at the thought maybe someone had actually thought at one point it was tasteful and olde-worlde, well in his opinion it was far from it - it was tacky to say the least. Still, apparently it was near the police 'precinct' as the Americans liked to call their Police Stations but he'd heard the place was right on the water's edge – typical. His mind wandered back to the strange way the blonde woman had greeted him and wondered who she was. He secretly hoped she wasn't actually this Carver's girlfriend. He was tired but he decided maybe later he would go get a drink and see if she was sitting in the bar and offer to buy her one and find out who she was. He would practice his detective skills if she wasn't forthcoming.

Emmett saw Rose coming in and avoiding him, what had he supposed to have done? He studied his menu and tried to forget it but his curiosity got the better of him after five minutes and he got up, startling the waitress who was just approaching him. He sat down opposite Rose and looked at her. She was pretending to study the menu and was ignoring him.

"Would you mind just telling me why you slammed your door in my face? Have I done something to upset you?"

He picked up the water pitcher and poured some into a glass, indicating if she wanted some. She didn't stop him. Rose wondered whether to keep her silence or enlighten him but he should know what he had supposed to have done. It had been less than two hours since he was stuffing his face with a steak and denying her the French-fries and denying who he was. Was his memory really that bad? If it was, he had no business being a detective then.

"You mean you don't know?" she finally said, taking a sip of the water he had just poured.

"Refresh my memory, humour me," Emmett said dryly.

He wasn't well known for his wit but she had actually had him laughing last night and smiling all the way down to the precinct, something he rarely did but he had made an exception but not for long. He'd spent a good deal of the day thinking about her. She hadn't even offered to give him her last name. How was he supposed to look her up on the internet? Just type in 'Rose' or 'English Rose'? Yeah, that would get him 250 million results. He could try 'Blonde English Rose' but had got tired of the different permutations and combinations he could have typed in and would have got him exactly nowhere.

He had to put his detective skills to use and at least get her surname before the night was over, buy her more drinks than he had last night and get her talking and maybe invite her back to his room. With a bit of luck she wouldn't notice he couldn't do anything about it except a bit of kissing and maybe get her to stay the night, just getting most of her clothes off. He would tell her in the morning she had fallen asleep on him and the evidence would be clear even if her head wasn't.

She wasn't going to faze him as she looked at him. "No, you really don't know do you? You were sat over there at half past four eating a steak and French-fries and said you weren't Emmett – more or less."

Emmett looked at her. "What do you mean? I was in my new office at the precinct at four thirty, I have dozens of witnesses who saw me and I wouldn't sit here eating steak."

"You mean you don't like steak?" Rose mused.

"I didn't say I don't like it, I said I wouldn't eat it." That much was true, especially since it was too rich for him and that, along with having sex, would probably set his heart off again. He had been warned about it more than once from his doctor back home.

"Emmett, I know what I saw, you sitting over there, eating and when I talked to you, you pretended you didn't know me. If it wasn't you, you have a twin brother then."

"Rose, I don't have a twin brother, I don't have any brothers. I really don't know what you're talking about. Now are we going to order before the restaurant closes or not? I'll buy you a drink later and you can tell me about my non-existent twin brother."

Fifty minutes later, they had moved to the bar, watched again by a slightly miffed Gemma Fisher who'd had her eye on the detective when he'd arrived but the English female guest had beaten her to him but with a new arrival, almost identical to Carver, she might be in luck. Still, she didn't get that many offers once they found out her interests so she kept it quiet until afterwards and never usually saw them again. Things could get complicated since both men were booked in indefinitely but if she didn't tell them, they wouldn't find out from her. Besides, the newly arrived Scotsman was more her type than the American, Miss Tyler was welcome to him. She hadn't seen the aforementioned since he'd arrived though, he must have been tired from his journey.

Emmett had bought a white wine and lemonade for Rose and a non-alcoholic drink for himself and sat down next to her and asked her explain in more detail what had happened earlier.

Rose smiled. "Are you interrogating me detective?" she laughed.

"What makes you think that?" he smiled back.

"Well if you are, you've not read me my rights yet, you American detectives are very big on that, aren't you? I mean, do I need my lawyer or something? It could take a while since mine's back in London. You might have to hold me in custody overnight."

Was she kidding? Emmett was thinking. He'd like nothing better than to hold her in his custody overnight and she was practically volunteering, who was he to disappoint her? Pity he'd left his handcuffs at the precinct, he really should carry them with him at all times, you never quite knew when you were going to need them and right now would have been a good time to have them with him.

Emmett just smiled at the thought. "Well Rose, since I haven't established your last name yet, I can't charge you with anything just yet, can I? I can take you in for questioning, I have 48hrs to charge you or release you. If you come in voluntary, you don't even need a lawyer."

"Yes, but shouldn't there be a second officer present at such an interview?" Rose laughed, finishing her drink and pushing her glass away, hinting she wanted another.

Emmett obliged her and got up to go to the bar. When he came back, he stood there and reached for her hand. "Why don't we go sit around the other side of the bar, I think we're being watched over there."

He moved his head back to indicate Gemma standing behind the bar and pretending to be wiping glasses and taking her time about it. Rose let him help her up and they moved around out of sight of the bar area. Neither of them saw Alec Hardy enter the bar and ask for a glass of cold lager. Gemma served him and he went to sit by himself just near where Rose and Emmett had been sitting a few minutes ago. On some pretence, she decided to go wipe the tables down and stopped in front of Alec.

"Sorry about the mistake earlier, I hope I didn't offend you. I mean I was being presumptuous, thinking you were someone else but honestly, you two could be identical twins."

Great, that was all he needed, as if one Alec Hardy in this world was not enough, he had to have an American twin of all things. Someone in the police department had a wicked sense of humour, having them working together and staying in the same hotel and everyone would confuse the pair of them but he had yet to see just how alike they were. He had fooled the hotel owner and the blonde woman earlier, things could get very complicated indeed.

Gemma continued wiping his table and sat down opposite. "If you're interested, your twin is sat around the other side of the bar with one of the female guests."

Alec thought that must be the blonde from earlier, obviously they had made up and she had forgiven him or maybe Carver was as good a detective as he was and worked it out. Either way, he wasn't that bothered, he would meet Carver the following morning and the fun would start, the precinct wouldn't know what had hit them. It was the blonde woman that interested him. How involved was she with Carver?

Rose was sat next to Emmett again and his arm had crept around the back of the seat and lightly resting on her shoulders. Rose didn't seem to mind and he felt slightly pleased with himself. He was more than out of practice but it was beginning to come back to him, if only he could remember what came next and in which order. Did he edge himself even closer, pretend to be interested in her neck and lightly kiss it or did he take hold of her hand? Maybe even both at the same time.

"So Rose, have I convinced you enough that it wasn't me you saw earlier then? Why would I talk to you last night and again this morning then pretend I wasn't me?"

Rose thought he had rather a good point? Why indeed. "Well if it wasn't you and I wasn't imagining it, then who was it?"

Who indeed? Then it occurred to him. "Rose, this man who you thought was me, did he have an English accent?" He had forgotten that Scottish people didn't like to be referred to as 'English'.

"Well, he sounded more Scottish to me, he barely spoke a dozen words to me, he was annoyed I'd interrupted his meal apparently, he more or less snapped at me."

"Well that wasn't me then, in case you hadn't noticed, I don't have a Scottish accent and I wouldn't have snapped at you."

That was true, while he had made very few friends on his first day in the Gracepoint Police Department, not even really wanting to be there anyway, he was not there to make friends but he could easily make friends with Rose.

"Let me get you another drink Rose, then how about you come back to my room and we'll discuss you possibly helping me with my enquiries? I have a new detective starting tomorrow, from England, so I was told but he could I suppose be from Scotland. You could describe him to me in greater detail. See if there are actually any differences between us?"

Emmett smiled and touched her hand, taking it in his. Perhaps it was time to make his first move, it was all coming back to him now. He got up to get some more drinks. Rose could feel the rush going through her, it was all coming back to her too. It had been a long time since a man had taken real notice of her, not counting Mickey of course, he didn't really count, he was someone from her teens and a long time ago, a whole universe away and she had changed. She was no longer the cheeky nineteen year old who had run off with a northerner in a blue box. As she waited for him coming back, she knew she was starting to like him a bit more than she should do. Perhaps she might go back to his room with him after all and snog him or maybe a tiny bit more, if he was lucky.

As Emmett approached the bar, Alec had given up and gone back to his room. Without moving tables he couldn't see his alleged twin or the blonde and he was getting tired of the hotel owner coming out from behind the bar every five minutes to clean tables where no-one had been sitting. There had been a few others in the bar but most had already gone. She was trying to chat him up but he wasn't interested. It may have been a long time since a woman was interested in him and since his operation, he felt now he might take one on but not her. The other blonde, maybe but she was sat around the corner with his new co-worker who he'd not even met yet and was beginning to get jealous of and he didn't even know the woman's name. "Get a grip on yourself Hardy," he told himself.

Emmett went back with the drinks, putting Rose's down and putting his arm around the back of the seat again then not so tactfully around her shoulders. Rose began to relax and let herself lean into his arm. She was on her third drink and three was her limit, without the anti-alcohol pills she use to take at Torchwood and she didn't want to be taken advantage of, she wanted to be in control if he was going to try and snog her either here or in his room.

Rose couldn't decide whether to bring up the subject of his double or not but decided to leave it for the questioning later, if he was actually serious or if it was just a ploy to get her to go to his room with him. Either way, she intended going with him and finding out, just to see if she could still get a man interested in her.

Emmett was tired of beating around the bush, she was obviously interested in him and hoped she wouldn't take too long finishing her drink. Maybe he should speed things up a bit and drop a few hints.

"So Rose, are you going to help me with my enquires then? While it's all still fresh in your mind, I wouldn't want you forgetting anything. Maybe I could help you remember."

Rose was game. "And what ways would you be helping me remember, detective?" she giggled.

Emmett grinned, he could think of one or two. "Well maybe we could start with distinguishing marks? Did you spot any?" he asked, taking her fingers in-between his.

"Well not outwardly though I didn't really get a good look. He was mean though, he wouldn't let me take any of his fries."

"There, that's a start, I wouldn't be that mean. Anything else?"

"Well his clothing was similar to yours, dark colours but he had a white shirt and yours is just grey. I don't know what he was wearing under his shirt though, I'd need a closer look to see if he had the same as yours."

Emmett was definitely getting somewhere. Rose put one finger on his beard then moved it along his chin. "Mmm, he had a beard like yours but I don't know if it was soft as yours."

Emmett kissed her finger and held onto her hand, keeping it on his face then pulling her nearer. "What about his face Rose? Did you get this close up to him?"

Rose shook her head. "No, his eyes were the same colour as yours but I didn't get this close to him."

Emmett shifted even closer until their faces were a fraction apart. "Did you get close enough for him to do this?" Then he kissed her.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose didn't resist as Emmett brought his lips up to hers and kissed her. She kissed him back and sought them again when he let go.

"No Emmett, I didn't get that close to him. Why don't we go to your room and we can establish a few more facts?"

Emmett was all for it. Despite his hatred of the name he'd been given, he wasn't minding Rose calling him it and supposed she was just doing it on purpose to see if he'd let her. Well she could call him it all she wanted if she came back to his room with him. They finished their drinks and he helped her up, leading the way out of the bar, his arm almost around her and Gemma couldn't help but notice they had left together for the second time. They climbed the stairs and walked past Rose's room and on to his and he opened the door. Once inside, Rose wanted to be questioned further about just how close she had got to his twin.

Within a few minutes, Rose was sitting on Emmett's lap on a chair getting a better look at the differences between the two men. She had relieved him of his jacket and established he was wearing nothing under his shirt and further assuring him she hadn't got as near as she was with his twin. Emmett was hoping his luck would hold out and he wouldn't get too overexcited. He couldn't just come right out and tell her there was something wrong with him. He just had to make sure he didn't go too far, it was only over-exertion that set him off. He could take his time and make it last, he was in no hurry.

Emmett decided him now being shirtless, he was at a disadvantage and unbuttoned the front of the top Rose was wearing, Rose holding onto his neck and kissing it. Thumbing the hem of her top, his fingers strayed under it, touching her skin which made her tingle as gently he edged the top upwards and over her head. Then carefully, he edged down the zip on her black trousers and leaned her back so he could pull them down, Rose helping him by moving herself, still clinging hold of his neck and kissing it.

He would have picked her up and carried her to the bed but he wanted to save his strength for later.

"So Rose, would you care to remain in my custody for tonight while I check out you've told me everything you know?" Emmett smiled.

Rose pretended to consider it for a while as she stretched her legs out sideways. Emmett took advantage and pulled her trousers all the way off, revealing her matching underwear, well he could see they were matching now, he was more interested in getting the top part off for now, anything more may be the end of him. He would have to work up to that bit and judge just how far he could go but he might have to let her in on his big secret.

"I think I can safely say I never got this close up to him. What's his name by the way?"

"Alec Hardy, he's on an exchange programme from England. I don't know any more details only he holds the rank of Detective Inspector so I hope he doesn't think he's going to be in charge, he'll find things are very different over here. For one, he'll have to get used to carrying a gun and learn the way we do things. There's just one more thing Rose, if he doesn't talk to you in an American accent, it's not me."

He pulled her back up and began kissing her. Rose came up for breath. "I'll try to remember that Emmett, I have to make sure there are no distinguishing marks on you and I can't do that from here."

Emmett started to get up, indicating for her to get up and he led her towards the bed. Rose unzipped his trousers and he stepped out of them but she wasn't interested just yet, she wanted to rake her fingers through the hairs on his chest first. Emmett lay her on the bed and pulled back the covers, Rose crawled beneath them and felt the cold sheets, even though it was supposed to be summer, it seemed to get chilly in the coastal town at night. She knew it was after ten when they had left the bar. Emmett chose to hover above her, feeling his hands around her back to unfasten the clasp on her pink bra but she stopped him.

"What you do that for?" he asked, quite annoyed when it was going so well. "Are you going to keep that on all night then?" Disappointment was in his voice.

"Depends. Have you got your alarm set, I have to be up at seven?"

"It's set, I have to go to work too. Now are you really going to keep that on all night?"

Rose whispered, "Just turn out the light Emmett," after which she felt his hands around her back again as he unclasped her bra and tossed it over the edge of the bed.

Although the bedside lamp was out, with the light from the street lamp outside, Emmett could see Rose laid under him as he hovered, kissing her breasts. He moved lower down, as far as he dared before she would expect something else, how was she going to react if she expected more? Emmett moved over onto his back, Rose followed, finally getting her fingers on his chest hair and then kissing his neck. Emmett just lay back and enjoyed it.

She settled down on him, just laying on him, Emmett thought she maybe was just going to go for what they were already doing as she nudged her head up to kiss him again. He was holding her around her waist but his hand strayed down to her bum and without thinking, slipped it under her pink knickers. Rose let out a sigh and didn't stop him, continuing to kiss him.

She finally whispered, "Emmett, this is really nice but I never have sex with anyone on a first date."

She had just saved him the embarrassment. "That's ok Rose, neither do I, I like to get to know someone first, so if it's all the same to you, that's just fine with me, let's just take it easy shall we?"

Rose was relieved too. She really liked him but she couldn't just go the whole way the first time and he seemed to feel the same way.

"That's fine with me too Emmett, this is more than just nice."

Emmett flipped her over, keeping his hands where they were as Rose did the same, slipping her hands down the back of his shorts, feeling he had a really nice bum, smiling to herself. She could go for more of this if he wanted, she was in no rush either. Emmett then moved his hands from under her, running them down her hips, slowly, moving his head and kissing across her tummy, Rose was raking her fingers across his back as he kissed further down, stopping at the waistband of her pink knickers, running his thumb under it and moving it to kiss below.

Rose was bubbling with delight, his kiss was soft on her skin as was his beard as he stopped just above her intimate area and looked up at her. Rose was smiling, now messing his hair, running her fingers through it. He came back up, Rose thought he knew exactly where to stop for maximum effect to make her want more, he knew she would come back and maybe let him finish but it would be all he could do and he would owe her an explanation but she might understand.

After more kissing, Rose got settled and got comfortable and fell asleep on him. She was woken by an alarm going off and an American male voice telling her to wake up. She smiled when she remembered where she was, with the extremely cute American detective. Emmett scrambled from under her and got out of bed, throwing her bra at her that he stepped on when he put his feet on the floor. He had a grin on his face and had reached down to pick up the item and it had landed on her.

"Cheeky," Rose laughed. She started putting it on and turned around for him to fasten it. "You unfastened it, you can fasten up for me again," she laughed, waiting for him to climb back on the bed.

He did, kneeling on the bed and fumbling with the fastener. He was obviously better at taking it off. They went down for breakfast, getting a funny look from Gemma again and since Rose was leaving at roughly the same time, she walked out of the hotel with Emmett, standing in the doorway.

"Have a good day Emmett and don't scare your new co-worker off."

Emmett smiled, he wanted to do more than that, he didn't want or need a new co-worker, especially if it was his twin. Still, since they were being forced together, someone's insane sense of humour, just as long as he stayed away from Rose and she didn't confuse the two of them again but he didn't think she would, now they had established a few facts.

"Bye Rose, don't write anything bad about me, will you?"

Rose turned and kissed him on his cheek. "Don't give me a reason to. See you tonight? Call for me and we'll go down to dinner together."

"I was thinking we could go some place else? Try that new French restaurant just outside town? We could get a cab there. I might see if I can have the use of a car at some point."

"Great but if we're going out, call for me at seven, ok?"

"Fine but don't go trying to steal French-fries again or I might have to arrest you and keep you in custody again."

Rose laughed and walked off in the opposite direction. It seemed her new friend had a very dry sense of humour. She might just have something to tell her mother the next time she called.

Alec had gone down to breakfast, disappointed that there was no sign of the blonde woman and assumed she must have gone out for the day already. He didn't even know if she was on vacation or if she worked in the town but she was English and more likely to be the first and therefore may not be staying long anyway but he was slightly envious she was spending her time with Carver. He'd spent a good part of the night thinking about her. He'd only seen her once, what was wrong with him? It wasn't like he hadn't fancied women before, women who he'd not known their names but this one was different. She'd had the nerve to come up to him and interrupt his meal then left just as quickly, thinking he was someone else.

He had to concentrate. It was Wednesday, he started work at ten, having to first go see the chief of the police department, get his new badge and ID and go practice on the firing range, something he was not looking forward to. He'd done firearms training but never had to use a gun before, there had been no call for it but carrying one in the state of California was a requirement for all officers, non-negotiable unless you were the office janitor and he suspected even they had a gun stashed away somewhere. Still, he wasn't required to wear one all the time, just when he went out.

He didn't think he'd ever get used to taking one out of his desk drawer and putting on a holster and would leave it behind more often than not but he would be putting himself at risk if he couldn't defend himself. He wasn't in Kansas any more so the saying went, he was somewhere over the rainbow in the land of guns and harsh criminals. Some say it was the real world and he'd been living in fairyland. Well the sooner he got back the better for his liking.

Striding out into the morning sunshine, he put his sunglasses on and walked the few blocks to the precinct, he'd have to get used to calling it that and walked up to the front desk. The woman who he assumed was the equivalent of the desk sergeant dropped the pen she was holding and stared at him. It appeared it had begun already and he'd not even started work yet.

"Detective Carver, didn't you just go in less than an hour ago? I never saw you going out."

"No, I'm not Carver. I'm Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, I'm here to see Chief Morgan. He's expecting me." He carefully with two fingers reached for his current ID from his inside jacket pocket and showed it to the open mouthed woman behind the desk.

She recovered sufficiently and buzzed him through and directed him to the chief's office and picked up the telephone. The chief was standing in an open doorway and greeted Alec and could only say "Good lord, I never realised you were the double of Detective Carver. If he wasn't sitting in his office over there, I never would have believed it."

He gestured for Alec to enter and pointed to a chair. "I'll just call him over when we've finished talking. Have you two met already? I believe you're both being put up at the same hotel."

"No, we've not actually met but so far three women have mistaken me for him, he must be popular."

The chief smiled. They talked for a while, the chief handing Alec his ID and his new shield and Alec signed for them and then the chief went to the doorway and motioned for Carver to join them. By this time, the entire office had stopped working, staring first to Emmett's office and then to the chief's, like there was a huge mirror in place but only showing the two bearded men and no-one else. Emmett crossed over the office floor, all eyes on him as he tried to ignore them and he stepped into the office.

Alec stood up. They were both exactly the same height, slightly different hairstyles, Emmett wore a black suit and grey shirt, a black loosened tie with the top button undone, it was Rose's little trick, she had unfastened it saying he looked too stuffy with it fastened before they had gone down to breakfast. That was one advantage he had over Hardy – Rose. Alec was contrastingly wearing a light grey suit, a blue tie and a white shirt but disarmingly, his top shirt button was also undone and Emmett hoped it was not due to Rose's intervention. He was hoping to get her to tell him her surname later, he couldn't just keep calling her Rose with no name.

The two men shook hands, the chief, if he'd known what was going to happen, should have warned them to play nicely. Alec was taken out to the firing range by one of the uniformed officers and was declared gun proficient and given a certificate. Then he had to go see the medical officer, they were aware of his recent operation but he was declared fit on the premise he only had light duties, which he would have done back in Broadchurch anyway. It wasn't like he expected another case like his last one that almost killed him – twice. That was all behind him now, his bad case before Broadchurch was all cleared up, he had solved a murder and come through a heart operation, the last one had surprised him more than the other two put together.

He was given a small office, he could have sworn it had been a storage room, Carver's looked twice the size but since he was on home ground and the detective he had replaced had not had an office, he considered himself lucky to have one at all. At least he didn't have to sit out in the main office. Alec was then called into Carver's office for a 'talk' that included a few ground rules. Despite the fact Carver had only been there a day or two longer than he had, he was laying down the law. Carver insisted he take the lead, they would both try to wear different clothing so as not to be mistaken for each other and try not to go out at the same time, the public didn't need to see them together. That suited Alec just fine.

He didn't have to report to Carver thank goodness, he just had to let the desk know if he was going out and to make sure they knew it was him and not Carver. By now, the whole precinct knew about the two identical men and it was the talk of the office. Speculation was running wild with theories, they were twin brothers but no-one could account for Hardy's strange accent, they would just have to get used to it for six months or if he could get out sooner. He waded through some files and decided to go take a walk around the town, hoping somehow he might bump into the mysterious blonde woman again and apologize for his rudeness. Him, apologise, he was getting soft after his brush with death. She had been the one to barge in on him and try to take part of his meal. She was elusive to say the least, like she had floated in yesterday afternoon then disappeared again. Maybe he had just imagined her but even his imagination wasn't that good.

Carver had tried to be civil to his new counterpart, he couldn't really find any fault with him. As long as Hardy stayed out of his way and didn't try to muscle in at work or with Rose, it was fine by him. He noticed Hardy going out but he didn't have to keep the Scotsman on a leash, he was free to come and go as he pleased. Rose had gone to work and there was no reason Hardy would know where she was. Why was he getting possessive? Rose didn't belong to him, she was a free agent and had only spent one night with him, they had just slept in the same bed.

Rose was trying to get her head round some reports, trying to see if there was anything worth forwarding to Torchwood. No-one in the newspaper office knew exactly what she did there, nobody had asked apart from the nosey junior reporter called Owen, who had tried to chat her up several times since her arrival but she had successfully fended him off. She never got bothered, people assumed she was working on something and left her alone. Her stepfather paid the newspaper owner to pay her to make it look legitimate and all was going well so far. She could work her own hours and no-one questioned her. If she wanted to go out, she was 'following a lead on a story' which enabled her to finish early when she wanted or have a long lunch break.

Rose just happened to be staring out of the window and caught sight of Emmett. Or was it Alec Hardy? No, it wasn't Emmett, he'd had a different suit on when she had left him outside the hotel earlier. The man stood looking in the window, the office doubled as the tourist information office. So Rose logged out of her laptop and grabbed her phone and her purse and shouted 'back in a bit' to anyone who happened to be listening. They were used to the strange English girl getting up and going out all the time.

Alec was staring into the newspaper office, looking at some notices for the tourist board, not that he was interested in any of the local events. He was just walking away when the door to the office opened and the blonde woman came out. Thinking maybe she had just been seeking information, he noted she stood in the doorway checking her phone. He decided to talk to her and turned to face her.

"Hello again, can I buy you a cup of coffee to make up for refusing to share my French-fries with you yesterday?"

Rose turned around and smiled. "Sorry, I was being rude, I thought you were someone else. You're Alec Hardy aren't you?"

Alec was amazed she knew his name, Carver must have worked it out yesterday and told her.

"Yes, that's me. I take it Detective Carver told you?"

"Yeah, he did actually. I was pretty mad at him when I thought you were him but he explained it to me last night over dinner. He said it could only be you when I said you had an Scottish accent. Coffee would be good, there's a coffee shop one block down. I'm Rose."

Alec gestured for her to lead the way and once inside, he ordered tea for himself and a vanilla latte for Rose and he sat opposite her.

"So are you on holiday Rose? You know why I'm here."

"No, I work at the newspaper office."

Alec should have been put off. He'd had more than his fill of newspapers lately but Rose didn't look like a crazy newspaper reporter out to get a story out of him.

"Then what are you doing all the way out here in California in a small town like Gracepoint?"

"I wanted something different. You can talk, a Scotsman who has been working in England coming out here," Rose laughed.

Alec thought she had a point. "So how much does Carver know about me then?"

"You'll have to ask him that, I'm not privy to that kind of information. I don't expect he'd talk to me about such things, confidentiality and all that."

"Right. So how long have you been here?"

"Two weeks. I came to escape working at my stepfather's company in London, I wanted to travel." She had missed the travelling.

"What company is that then?"

Rose wasn't about to give that up to him. "Let's just say he's in the soft drinks business shall we?"

"Well there aren't that many soft drinks companies owned by independents are there? You can trust me on this."

Rose burst out laughing. "I'm not saying anything. Think what you like, Alec Hardy." Was he smarter than Emmett? There again, Emmett was American but Vitex was international.

Alec smiled and drank his tea. "So, Rose Tyler escapes from Vitex and comes running out to a small northern Californian town. Why here?"

"Because my stepfather knows the newspaper editor and she gave me a job. Not much of a job, I'm left to my own devices most of the time. Just follow up on interesting stories." She had actually told Hardy more than she had told Emmett. Best not say anything else.

Alec had successfully found out more in a few minutes without even asking her any personal questions, not bad. Now all he had to do was steer her away from Carver, hoping she had only talked to him in the bar last night if she had been there and the hotel owner had actually meant Rose.

"Well I have to get back to work now, it was nice meeting you properly Rose Tyler and you are forgiven for trying to steal my French-fries yesterday. Perhaps you'll join me for dinner sometime?"

"Well I can't tonight, I already have a dinner date but another time perhaps?"

"Would that be with a certain Detective Carver?"

Rose considered her answer carefully. Were there any differences between the two men? "Well let's just say he's taking me for a fancy meal at a French restaurant tonight. I have to go now too. I'll see you around, Alec Hardy."

"I hope so Rose."

Rose looked at the time, it was after three, no point in going back. She would call down at the fashion shop she had seen and buy a new dress for tonight. She chastised herself though for admitting to Alec Hardy who she was when Emmett didn't know. She would have to tell him tonight, over dinner. He probably had never heard of Vitex anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

Alec went back to the precinct but didn't stay long. He had reduced hours but was going to try to negotiate a few more otherwise he would get bored easy although there didn't seem much to do. He signed out for the day and walked back to the hotel, hoping he might catch up with Rose, he had forgotten to find out what time she finished work. It was just after four and he was just about to go to his room and maybe catch up on the local news when he noticed Rose coming back in with a carrier bag with the name of a dress shop on it. She was trying to impress Carver. Was there any reason why she couldn't be trying to impress him?

The hotel owner was nowhere to be seen. Alec turned to greet Rose. "Hello again Rose. Been shopping?"

Rose smiled, nothing got past Alec Hardy apparently. "Hi Alec, I figured if I was going somewhere fancy tonight I needed a new dress. How are you getting along with Emmett?"

"I haven't seen much of him today, he's been in his office. I only went out earlier to get some fresh air and take a quick look around. So you're going to go get all dressed up tonight then?"

Rose was surprised by his question. Did she detect an hint of jealousy there? There was no reason. "Well, I didn't bring a lot of going out dresses with me, I hadn't intended going out much while I was here."

"What, Rose Tyler not going out? You're always in the magazines back home, at some charity function or other." He had seen magazines while he was in the hospital and his ex-partner used to leave them in the break room at Broadchurch.

"True, why do you think I ran away Alec?" Rose smiled.

Alec got her meaning. Rose Tyler was running away from the fame and fortune bestowed on her when she had been adopted by Jackie and Peter Tyler. He had read her story, the Tylers had no children of their own and Mrs Tyler had thought to have been killed by the Cybermen but she had been in a private hospital getting over the trauma of being taken by the metal menaces and almost being turned into one. She had disappeared for three years and had befriended a young woman who worked at the hospital and had brought her back home. It was said Jackie Tyler was a changed woman and Rose had helped and they had legally adopted her when they found out she had no family.

Now it seemed it had all been too much for her and she was trying to distance herself without trying to seem ungrateful for being rescued. It was said that after Mrs Tyler's return she had decided to start a family of their own and had a son and Rose had taken to him after being brought up on her own. He was surprised she had left her half-brother behind though.

"Well, I won't keep you from your dinner date. Perhaps I can take you out some other time?"

"I'll think about that, thanks."

Rose said goodbye as she came to her room, Alec continued down to his room at the end of the corridor. He watched her go in, noting the room number. He shouldn't be thinking about asking her out if she was seeing Carver but he wanted to, Carver had only been here a day longer than he had, how had he got to ask her out so quickly? They must have struck up a friendship just after he had arrived. Maybe she was only going out with him and nothing else, maybe there was still time for him to make his move on her.

Alec Hardy, chasing after a woman again, that was a laugh and a young blonde woman probably a lot younger than he deserved to be chasing after and a heiress to boot. He had become a loner, not letting anyone near. Maybe it was time for a change, a new lease of life just like Rose had been given. He had read she had grown up on a London council estate, raised by her mother but it never said what had happened to her. Maybe she had been taken by the Cybermen and Rose worked at the hospital in the hope her mother would turn up there.

Rose had gone in her room and stepped into the shower to get ready for her dinner date with Emmett. She wondered if he was going to try to get further than they had last night. She hoped not, she wanted to wait until she was sure Emmett was the right man. Now she was debating if he was or not, he and Alec were identical and Alec had just showed an interest in her, what was she going to do?

Emmett was counting the hours until he finished work. How come Hardy got to finish early and been given reduced hours? He was the one that was ill but he couldn't tell anyone. He'd read that Hardy had been though nearly the same as he had and just had an operation. Maybe he should consider one himself but after the last time he'd spoken to his own doctor, his chances weren't that good. He'd been told he was a ticking time bomb. Maybe Rose would help him calm down a bit so he could be reconsidered. He found the number of the new French restaurant and just before he left at five, he called and made a reservation for seven thirty.

He tapped on the chief's door and went in.

"I'd like to request a car for my own use as well as work, any chance? I don't mean a squad car, maybe something a little better?"

"We're a small town Detective Carver, we don't have a lot of vehicles or a big budget. I'll see what I can do but it may only be a basic car. You could apply for a car allowance if you want to get a rental one from the department that placed you here. Have you settled in your hotel? You'll have to look for your own place soon though if you're staying."

"Who says I'm staying? Six months I was told, maximum, then I can be considered for another transfer and my last case will be history."

"You didn't have much of a choice this time did you? They weren't exactly falling over themselves to take you on. I only took you on because you had an excellent record before and it wasn't your fault, I know it wasn't you who failed."

"So, I'm eternally grateful for the rescue but it doesn't mean I'll be staying. I'll start looking for somewhere, save the department some money. What about Hardy? Is he expected to find a place too?"

"Hardy is being paid for by the British Police, that's nothing to do with us."

"Maybe I should apply to them then?"

Emmett walked out. He would get a car on his own, impress Rose and take her out weekends but not this weekend, he had something he couldn't get out of. Since his move here he had a promise to keep, to see an elderly aunt he hadn't seen for years but he kept in touch with her and he'd promised to go visit and he'd have to leave Friday afternoon for the drive there then stay the weekend. He had promised his mother before she died he would keep in touch with her sister. He could at least do that for her. He might never get the chance again. It was over a four hour drive, he would stay over there Friday night, go visit on Saturday then drive back Sunday morning.

He hadn't reckoned on meeting Rose. Would it be too much to ask her to go with him? He'd only just met her and she might have plans. He would have to tell her he was going, she would understand. He set off to go back to the hotel, he would go pick up a car rental tomorrow and put it in as expenses and fill out the form to get the rental paid. If not, he'd return it next week.

He thought about knocking on Rose's door but decided to give her time to get ready. He looked in his wardrobe, he must get some different shirts, Rose said he'd looked stuffy. He'd been told tomorrow was laundry day so he took the hamper out of the wardrobe and put his pile of laundry in, hoping he'd actually get it back. He waited until just before seven and went to knock on Rose's room door and when she answered, he just whistled, leaving a blushing Rose standing in the doorway.

She was wearing a pale blue dress with a white jacket. "You look great Rose. Shall we go?" He kissed her cheek and offered her his arm.

Gemma watched them leave together, wondering what Miss Tyler had that she didn't, even Hardy had gone out of his way to avoid her by leaving the bar early last night. Emmett hailed a cab and told the driver where to take them and ten minutes later they were outside a fancy restaurant, Emmett opening the door for her. They talked over dinner, Rose telling him a bit more and the invented story of her becoming a member of the Tyler family, Emmett relieved to learn her name at last.

"So why do you hide Rose?"

"No-one knows me here, I wanted to get away from it, I'm not used to it and I don't think I ever will be. It's not something that comes naturally. I mean I love my adopted family, my little brother and I miss them." That was true, she did miss them, especially Tony.

They sat in the bar area for a while, Emmett drinking non-alcoholic again. He was going to have to tell her at some point, possibly tonight and tell her he was going off for the weekend. The restaurant had a taxi phone and they got a cab back to the hotel. It was almost ten, Emmett asked if Rose wanted another drink but she said no.

"Let's go to my room tonight Emmett," Rose suggested as they climbed the stairs.

Emmett was not going to argue as he stood behind her, kissing her neck as she opened the door. Once inside, Rose took off her own jacket and helped relieve Emmett of his jacket and shirt, pulling him down onto the bed and pushing him onto his back. Emmett wasted no time, pulling the zip down on her dress and unfastening her bra, the colour of which he never noticed.

They kissed as Rose fumbled for the zip of his trousers as he pulled her dress off with her bra, pulling her down on to him. Emmett let her help him out of his trousers as he reached for the covers, Rose stopping to run her fingers through the hairs on his chest. Emmett could feel his heart getting slightly faster than it should but considering there was a young blonde woman trying to get him into her bed, it was only to be expected. He'd had his pills and there was his medication in his jacket pocket.

He had to tell Rose before it was too late, he didn't want to just collapse on her. Rose clambered into bed, Emmett was crawling after her, falling onto her and kissing her, Rose giggling quietly.

"Emmett, can we have some more of what we did last night? It was really good. Is that ok?"

Emmett managed a 'yes' as he turned out the light and bent over to kiss her breasts. Rose was raking her fingers between his back and his hair and then his bum, putting her hands down the back of his shorts as Emmett kissed lower down, thumbing the waistband of her knickers and lifting it so he could kiss further down but stopping exactly where he had last night. He looked up at Rose, she could see he was grinning even though the room was only dimly lit.

"Mmm, Emmett, what you stop there for again?" she asked, wondering what had stopped him again. "Are you teasing me?"

"Why would I tease you Rose? I can go further if you want, I just wanted to make sure but there's something you need to know first. I've got a heart condition."

Rose held him at arms length and looked at him. "Why didn't you tell me before Emmett?"

"I wanted to but I didn't know how you would take it. Are you ok with it? I take medication for it but you can't tell anyone or they'll kick me out of the department and it's all over until I do something about it."

Emmett turned over onto his back and Rose propped herself up. "Tell me all about it Emmett and what I can do to help you."

So Emmett told her everything and Rose, being Rose, listened. When he had finished, she leaned over and kissed him. "I won't tell anyone but you tell me exactly what to do if you have a bad turn, deal?"

It had been easier than he thought. Now he had someone close by who he could trust and who wouldn't put him under pressure and he could lie back and enjoy himself as much as his condition would allow. So he told her what to do if it got too much and what to tell any ambulance crew if she had to call for help. He then told her he was going to see what his chances of an operation were and he was going to contact his doctor again. With that out of the way, Emmett pushed Rose onto her back and resumed what he had been doing, pulling her knickers further down as she grabbed his head and pushed him where she wanted him.

Rose rolled him onto his back and laid on him, pulling her underwear further down while laying over him so she could feel him pressing against her, Rose sighing and calling his name. They moved around a little, Rose was giggling as she could feel him wanting to do more, wanting him to but they both knew what it meant. Emmett had his hands on her bum then moved one around the front, onto her thigh then moving inwards as Rose raised herself up to allow him to touch her as his fingers moved inwards. Rose was gasping at his touch then suddenly, he withdrew his fingers from her and fumbled with the gap in his shorts to make it bigger and Rose could feel him under her, flesh touching flesh as she gasped some more.

They moved together, Emmett using all his control to keep from doing anything more that could land him in hospital so he had to let her move around on him preventing him from actually giving in. His heart was going a little faster than it should, considering what they were doing but he didn't think it was cause for concern. After a few minutes, Rose put her hand on the waistband of his shorts, tugging at them for him to pull them down, which he did and they touched fully, Rose letting out a moan.

"Emmett, we can do this as much as you want, until you can have your operation, if you like?"

That was an offer he could not refuse. "Oh yes Rose, I could do this all the time, if you let me."

After neither of them could bear it any more, Rose laid on her side, moving away and Emmett looked at her. "Rose, there is something else. I'm divorced. I have a teenage daughter. Are you ok with that?" He had a feeling she was.

"Yeah, I'm ok with that Emmett, we all have a past. I lost someone that I loved, just before I was adopted and I thought I'd never get over him but I'm trying.''

"I know Rose, it's ok, I'm well over my ex. I have to go away this weekend, to visit someone, an elderly aunt who I've not seen in years because I was too far away. I'd ask you to come but it's a long way."

"It's ok Emmett, you go, I'll still be here when you get back and I'll help you until you get better."

"Thanks Rose, I feel better already." He pulled up his shorts and helped Rose with her underwear and they fell asleep.

The next morning, Rose said goodbye to Emmett outside the hotel again, kissing him properly and was just about to walk off in the opposite direction when she almost collided with Alec.

"Good morning Rose, how are you today?" Alec asked as she narrowly averted tripping over his foot.

"Hi Alec, fine, that's apart from you scaring the life out of me," she smiled.

Alec smiled back, something he had been doing a lot the last few days. If his ex-colleagues from Broadchurch could see him now, they would think he'd had a change of personality as well as a heart operation. He had been bitter and grouchy during his illness and turned people away from him but even after his operation, he had not regretted being that way. He hadn't wanted anyone's sympathy.

"Are you on your way to work? I could walk you there, I don't start until ten."

Rose wasn't sure. She had spent another night with Emmett, happy that he wasn't pressurising her to have sex with him and having to tell him she didn't go all the way. Still, just Alec walking her to work, she saw no harm in that and no-one apart from the hotel staff had seen her with Emmett. It wasn't like Emmett had asked her to be his girlfriend or anything, he didn't have an exclusive but she had promised to help him manage his illness so no-one would find out, especially his chief. She knew police work was Emmett's life and he would be devastated to be thrown out before he could secure his return.

"Yeah, that would be nice but it's really not that far. What are you doing out so early, there's over an hour before you start."

"Oh, just going out for a walk, I wanted to call at the grocery store, the milk in those little cartons is disgusting so I was going to get some powdered milk since there's nowhere to keep fresh milk."

"I haven't really tried it, been drinking in the bar. You should try the long-life milk, it will keep for a few days. I'm not keen on powdered milk myself."

Alec thought about it as they walked. "But then I would have to keep replacing it every few days. I can manage with powdered. Listen I finish work at three, can I meet you at the coffee shop again?" He didn't but was going to conveniently leave the precinct at three today. He knew Carver finished at five.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I'll see you there at three." Rose could finish when she felt like it on some pretence or other, Kathy didn't mind, she wasn't paying Rose's wages.

They had reached the newspaper office without noticing. Well the only thing Rose had noticed were Alec's deep brown eyes, they were exactly the same as Emmett's as she stood there looking at him but she hadn't really looked into them the way she was looking into Alec's. If she wasn't very careful, this was going to get extremely complicated.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose sat at her desk, she was miles away and Kathy noticed and called her into her office.

"You've been acting stranger than normal the last few days Rose, any particular reason? If there's something troubling you, you can talk to me. I promised your stepfather I would look out for you. There's no pressure for work or anything, I'm quite happy with the arrangements and everyone thinks it's because you're English, with your strange behaviour." The newspaper editor smiled, looking over the rim of her glasses.

"It's nothing Kathy. I met someone, at the hotel and I'm not sure how I feel about him. I like him but it's complicated. I need to decide just how much I like him. I'm 1000's of miles away from home and I can't go to my mother for advice like I used to." She wasn't going to complicate things any more than necessary by telling the woman she was torn between two identical men, she would get locked up for insanity.

"Well you're asking the wrong person Rose, sorry. I can't give you any sound advice on that score. How does he feel about you?"

"I think he likes me, we've been out and we have breakfast together. I only met him on Monday evening although it seems longer somehow, we've spent a lot of time together. Tuesday night we ate at the hotel and he took me out last night. There are complications though, things I can't talk about."

"He's not married is he? Seriously, stay away if he is."

That was Rose's means of escape in this particular situation. She wouldn't have to say he was ill. "He's divorced and I don't know how I feel about it."

It didn't really bother her, she had been in love with an alien from another galaxy in another universe, that was more complicated than Emmett being ill and divorced.

"Well only you can decide that. Don't think about it too much. If you like him, don't let that get in the way unless he's still in love with his ex."

"I don't think so. I'll just have to see what happens. I'll get back to work now. Does anyone say anything about my strange habits of leaving early?"

Kathy laughed. "Like I said Rose, you're English, you can get away with anything."

Rose smiled and went back to her desk and looked up Detective Inspector Alec Hardy. She got more than she bargained for when she read of him solving the Broadchurch murder last year and his subsequent revelation. She would have to pretend she knew nothing about it when she met him later. She didn't want him to think she was that interested in him. She hadn't even looked up Emmett Carver. She had only just told Emmett her surname and the invented story of her recent life, it was public knowledge in Great Britain. Maybe she should look up Emmett, he was probably doing the same with her now and she knew Alec Hardy had already done so.

Emmett was sat at his desk, more relieved to have got his illness out of the way with Rose than anything else. He didn't want anything to get in the way of him pursuing her further, not that he could do anything about it yet but she seemed willing to wait for him. There must be a reason why she was so willing, maybe she hadn't yet gone all the way with a man and was reluctant to lose what was so precious to her. He wasn't in a position to take that away from her, not yet anyway. She had no need to worry about him on that score.

Emmett peered through the window, at the water lapping up in front of the building. Why build a precinct here of all places? Did they think everyone who lived in the town was that fond of water? Meanwhile, Alec was having pretty much the same thought about the architects and builders who had seen fit to build a precinct in such a spot. Who would come up with such an idea? Whoever it was, they were in league with the moron who had put him in this precinct with his double who was currently seeing the woman who he fancied himself and he felt the pangs of jealousy starting to creep up on him.

Alec thought back to Monday afternoon, his first meeting with Rose hadn't gone down all that well but she was talking to him now, he'd had afternoon tea with her yesterday and was meeting her later in the same place. Just before three, he was planning on going out on some pretence, hoping Carver wouldn't get suspicious and follow him. He was risking it, perhaps tomorrow he wouldn't but he was going to ask Rose what she had planned for the weekend.

Just before three, Rose closed her laptop down and gathered her belongings, noting Kathy was watching, smiling at her, probably thinking Rose was going to do something about her predicament. She walked the block down and thought about sitting outside the coffee shop but if Emmett were to be unexpectedly walking past, it wasn't such a good idea so she went inside and ordered her latte. Why was she hiding though? Was she starting to feel guilty? Should she be?

Five minutes later, Alec walked in. She knew it was him, he was dressed differently but she had noticed he had his top shirt button undone, just like she had done to Emmett yesterday morning, purely a coincidence but what a coincidence – two identical men in the same town, both gorgeous and both seemingly interested in her but what made Alec stand out more than Emmett or the other way around? Alec sat down next to her, she noted this was different than yesterday when he had sat opposite her.

"Hello Rose, can I get you another coffee?"

"No, I'm fine, just got this."

Alec got up to get his tea and came back.

"Did you get what you wanted from the store this morning?" Rose asked.

"Yes thanks. Had a good day?"

Rose was tired of this smalltalk. She wanted to find out if he was interested in her or not. She had some important decisions to make. Whatever her choice, she would not give up Emmett's secret.

Alec wanted to ask her out but he didn't know how involved she was with Carver. He had hardly spoken to the man all day except when they had disagreed over some leads on a case that was going stale and some new information had come in. Carver had looked tired, was it because he had been spending time with Rose or something else? It was like his own past was staring him in the face, he knew what the signs were – Carver had a heart problem and he was keeping it a secret like he had done until he had come to his senses and been threatened with life or death and losing his position in the police, living somewhere on retirement pay with no-one to care about him.

That and Ellie Miller goading him into having the operation, he could have died having it or died not having it, it hadn't been much of a choice but he'd gone for it, staying on half pay and getting put up at Miller's house in her spare room, mainly so she could keep nagging him to go get it done and then looking after him, until last week when he'd boarded a plane to come over here. Miller had never even suggested they made anything of the fact she'd been looking after him, she'd told him she was glad to get rid of him but her two boys would miss him, even if she didn't.

Just how did he bring asking her out into the conversation? He just went for it. "So Rose, are you busy tonight? I was wondering if I could buy you drink after dinner?"

"I can't tonight Alec but I'm free tomorrow night, if that's ok?" Rose replied, finishing her latte. Emmett had said he was going off for the weekend and a drink with Alec wouldn't do any harm but not in the hotel bar, Gemma might get suspicious and say something. "Why don't we go to the bar down the street, I don't really want to stay in the hotel all the time."

Alec had a feeling he knew why but wasn't going to bring up the subject yet. Should he even be asking her out if she was seeing Carver? She had at least agreed to see him for one night, maybe he could be subtle about it. Yeah him – being subtle, it wasn't one of his skills.

"OK then, tomorrow night, I'll meet you outside the hotel at seven and we'll walk down the street, you can show me where. Are you going back to the hotel?"

"Yeah, I've finished for today."

"Then I'll walk back with you if that's ok?"

Rose wasn't keen on being seen walking in the front door of the hotel with him. Why was she so worried? Was it because she thought Gemma would tell Emmett she had see her and Alec walk into the hotel at the same time? No, she wasn't going to do this, she was getting paranoid. She would walk in with Alec and say goodbye in front of Gemma, if she was there. She normally had her room key with her but it was cleaning and laundry day so she had left it at the desk.

When they entered the hotel, Alec purposely let Rose in first, Rose thought he was rather making a point, he must know she had been seeing Emmett.

"Hi Gemma, can I have my key please?" Rose said cheerfully.

Gemma handed her the key. "Gemma, can I ask you a question?"

Something had been bothering her since her arrival and now was a good time to ask her as Alec strode in behind her. She stepped aside and let Alec take his key, which Gemma was taking off the hook behind her as Gemma said to him, "There you go Mr Hardy, I trust your room is ok?"

Alec just nodded and took his key, then looked at Rose, nodding at her as well.

Gemma smiled. "How do you know the difference between those two? I thought he was Carver the other day when he came in since Carver was already out. I've seen you sitting for your meals with Carver and at the bar but not last night, any particular reason?"

Rose was the one who'd had a question for the hotel owner and now she was the one answering the questions but she supposed nothing much got past the eagle-eyed hotel owner.

"Yeah, we've had dinner a few nights, he took me to that French restaurant just outside town last night, it was very nice. We're just friends and as for the difference, I let Emmett speak first before I say anything, since I made a fool of myself on Tuesday when that one arrived." She moved her head towards the stairs Alec had just gone up.

"What did you want to ask me Miss Tyler?"

"Please, call me Rose. It's just that you look familiar and I've been trying to think who you remind me of. I know you're from the north of England, I had a friend who came from the north but I can't place you and I don't think we would have met before."

Gemma laughed, she was often told that, with her brother being famous and his fans coming up to her all the time before she had moved here but since being in Gracepoint, it had never happened.

"You got me Rose and since no-one has pointed that out to me since I've been here, I'll put you out of your agony. I have a famous brother but not under this surname and that's a long story. You might have seen him on TV in a program about dinosaurs and things."

Rose laughed. Of course she knew who Gemma meant, she had quite liked him in the series he'd been in until she found out he was living with his on-screen girlfriend.

"Thanks, I'll be able to sleep now I know and not being driven crazy by it. For your information though, I'm not Carver's girlfriend, at least I don't think so, we're just friends."

It was Gemma's turn to laugh. "Yeah Rose, that's what they all say."

Rose smiled and went upstairs, just in time to see Alec come back out of his room.

"Hi Alec, going somewhere?"

Alec looked up, surprised to see her, he was going to go downstairs and see if she was still there but what excuse could he come up with now? Tell her he was looking for her?

"Rose, I was looking for you, thought you might need rescuing from Miss Fisher," he smiled. That was his excuse and he was sticking to it.

Rose just laughed. "Actually I was keeping her talking, she reminded me of someone and curiosity got the better of me. It was sweet of you to think about rescuing me though, thanks."

Alec thought he safely had an hour before Carver came back to the hotel. "I got some of that milk you recommended, would you care to try it out with me?"

Rose was sorely tempted. She laughed inwardly, all this time here in this universe, pining after the Doctor then she meets two of his doubles who both want to be friends or more with her. What was she possibly going to do? How could she choose one over the other? One had a heart condition, one had got over a heart condition, they were so alike, it was uncanny.

Rose knew it would over an hour before Emmett got back so a drink wasn't totally out of the question but she had to tell Alec she was already seeing Emmett and see what happened. He might drop her like the plague if he knew but somehow, she didn't think it would put him off.

Rose put her key away and followed Alec back to his room. If Emmett came back and she wasn't in her room, he would think she was still out and hopefully not ask Gemma if she was in or not. She would have to make sure she was back in her room before then. Why was she even playing this game? She should just tell Alec the truth, she was more than just friends with Emmett.

She got inside Alec's room and he switched the kettle on and asked if she wanted tea of coffee. Rose made sure she sat well away from him, she remembered when she had sat next to Emmett and had crept nearer. Look where that had got her. She accepted the coffee and had already run out of things to say but she needn't have worried on that count, Alec had plenty to say, he intended conducting a full scale interrogation, something he rather excelled at.

"So Rose, I already know your story, I read about it but what about the real you, now? Are you seeing Carver or are you just friends with him?" Alec was not well known for going easy on the questions he had to ask.

"That's a bit personal Alec," Rose smiled. "Why exactly would you want to know that?"

"Because, I wanted to know if I had a rival, not just at work but for you as well. Come on Rose, I thought I was being rather obvious and I really am sorry for snapping at you the other night, I was tired and hungry after my journey."

"That's ok, I was like that when I got here. As for a rival, well I don't know the answer to that. Emmett and I, well we got together but we're just taking it slowly, for various reasons."

Alec saw his chance to find out about for sure about Carver. "He's ill, isn't he Rose? I saw all the signs, I used to be just like him until I got a kick and got myself sorted. I had a pacemaker fitted and I survived against the odds not being so favourable. If you care about him, get him to do something about it before it's too late."

"You'll have to talk to him about that Alec, it's not for me to say but I'll tell you this, he is thinking of doing something, he was turned down once and he's going to try again."

"I was exactly the same until I was on a case and I almost died – twice. It's not fun Rose, believe me, wondering every time you collapse or get a twinge, thinking it's your last. I was lucky, someone found me both times but another time, there might not have been anyone and it could have been too late. I had a friend to help me through, a work colleague and we were just that – friends, never anything more. She got me to go for the operation when I was too stubborn, she brought me back to reality."

Rose put her cup down. "I promised I'd help him until he could get something done about it. I can't leave him on his own."

Alec got up and moved his chair closer "Don't feel guilty about it Rose. I wish I would have someone like you to care for me when I was ill. Just how are you involved with him?"

Alec leaned forward until he was almost touching her. Rose looked at him. "I don't know Alec, I wish I could tell you."

Alec leaned even closer and looked at her, putting his hands to her face and looking at her hazel eyes. "Is it to late for me?"

He closed the gap and touched her lips lightly. Rose reached forward, responding slowly at first, then deeper. He was an even better kisser than Emmett, so she thought but Emmett was ill and they only kissed shortly, several times instead of long deep kisses like Alec was giving her now, a million things going through her mind as she got lost in it. They broke apart, both breathless. Rose moved over onto his lap and let herself get lost again, then she looked into his brown eyes, holding onto his neck and pulling his tie off, unbuttoning some more buttons and kissing his neck as he kissed hers.

"Alec, I don't know," she finally managed to say. "I don't know where things are going with Emmett. I can't just leave him, he might change his mind about getting help and if something happened to him because of it, I couldn't live with myself thinking I could have prevented it. What am I supposed to do? He might get upset and set himself up for an attack."

Rose got up and sat back on the other chair. What could she do? She still didn't know how she really felt about Emmett but if she told him she was leaving him for Alec, how would he react? He could get angry, feel rejected and do something stupid and put himself at risk and it would haunt her all her life. No, she had to make sure he went for an operation, she owed him that much.

"Listen Alec, Emmett is going away for the weekend, he has someone he needs to go and visit that he may not see again so he goes tomorrow afternoon, he's leaving work early and taking his things with him. He won't be back until Sunday. Let me think about things over the weekend while he's away. Just give me some time."

"Ok Rose, I can do that. Why don't I take you out tomorrow night? Just for dinner?"

"I can do dinner Alec, yeah, alright." She didn't see any harm in that. "I have to go now. Call for me at seven tomorrow night."

"I'll do that Rose, if you just think about it."

He stood up and held his hand out to pull her up, then fastening his shirt buttons. He leaned down to take her face in his hands again, angling his mouth to kiss her again. Rose looked into his eyes, they didn't look as sad as Emmett's. Rose kissed him back, leaning against him and slipping her arms around his waist. This was going to take some thinking about. Alec opened the door and seeing no-one in the hallway, kissed her forehead.

"See you tomorrow night then." Then he let her go.

When she had left, he should have felt guilty about luring her away from Carver. He knew full well what it was like, having no-one on your side when you were so ill but Carver had just been lucky Rose had sympathy for him but did it mean she had to be with him all the time? Maybe if she wasn't fully with Carver, he could still see her, she wouldn't exactly be cheating on him if she didn't commit herself to him. Maybe she was only staying with Carver to help him.

Rose went back to her room, confused and her emotions running riot. Why was her mother so far away? She really needed her now to tell her which way to turn. Would her mother think she was completely mad? Especially if she told her both men were identical and both happened to look like a certain Timelord. She really didn't know what her feelings for Emmett were yet but she could already feel some developing for Alec, Emmett had not kissed her like Alec had just done but Alec was well again, Emmett wasn't. Should she give Emmett a chance to get well again? If they were both identical, why was she beginning to favour one against the other?


	6. Chapter 6

Emmett was pacing around his office, drinking coffee that he shouldn't really be drinking, it was no good for him and he knew it. It was almost time to leave and thank goodness Hardy had left at three. They had argued the best way to proceed with some new information that had come in about a case from a good while back, neither of them were familiar with it of course so they had located a sergeant who had been on the case originally and Carver wanted Hardy to work on the case alongside but Hardy of course had argued that Carver was supposed to be the lead detective so he should do it. The chief then had to intervene, giving it to Hardy as a way to introducing him to how things were done in Gracepoint and America in general.

Hardy had then just thrown the file on the sergeant's desk and told him to get on with it and report back to him, not to Carver if he wanted to play it that way and told the sergeant to take whoever he wanted with him and only to call him if the information came up good. Hardy hadn't really expect anything to ever come of it and thought he was pretty safe.

Emmett put his jacket on and left for the day, back to Rose. He would have to pack tonight, he'd had a rental car delivered to the precinct at lunchtime and was going to set off on his journey at lunchtime tomorrow. He wished Rose was going with him but it was too much to ask of her, he'd only known her a few days. He was hoping she would be willing to think about staying with him when he came back, if she wanted. He could definitely go for more of what they had been doing last night, it was the next best thing without actually having sex and was all he could settle for at present but once he was well, he was going to ask her to think about more if she stayed.

Rose was getting changed to have dinner with Emmett and then a few drinks and either come back to her room or go to his. He was going away tomorrow, she hoped he was ok to travel all that way on his own but she saw no reason why not as long as he kept calm. He had assured her he would take his medication and be extra careful. She wondered about Alec, what was she thinking of? Getting involved with both of them? She was asking for trouble unless she was very careful. Emmett needed her if he was going to go for an operation but Alec had been through one on his own, more or less but no-one to really care about him from what he had said. She had spent a few nights with Emmett, without even thinking about it, not during the day, only evenings but if she spent Friday night and Saturday day with Alec she could see if she at least liked him enough but how could she tell Emmett if she liked Alec more?

Emmett knocked on Rose's door and she greeted him with a kiss, she noted his kisses were not as long as the one's she had shared with Alec earlier and wondered if she should wait for him to make the first move in that department, let him ask her to kiss him properly. They went down for dinner, Rose saw Alec come into the dining room but Emmett was facing the other way and Alec sat to one side so he wasn't directly in view. Rose wondered if he felt a hint of jealousy as she sat talking to Emmett, who was telling her about the rental car he'd just had delivered and Rose was asking him if he was ok to drive all that way.

"It's an automatic Rose. I'll be fine, they're easy to drive, nothing to think about. Listen, when I get back on Sunday, I'll take you out again, to make up for going away. I didn't want to spring it on you I had to go away, my aunt is quite elderly and I don't know if I'll ever get the chance again, I've not seen her for over 20 years, we lived too far away."

"It's ok Emmett, family is important. I have a new family now and I miss them, especially my little brother. I call my adopted parents mum and dad so Tony doesn't think there is anything wrong. I really feel like I belong with them."

"You're not getting homesick are you Rose?" Emmett smiled.

That gave Rose an idea, if need be but it wasn't really fair unless it became so complicated it became impossible for her to stay. She could escape back home. Not defeated but let things die down, give Emmett time to move on and Alec time to go back to Broadchurch. She would have to find out how long he was staying, maybe he was only there for six months as well. She could easily come back, spend some time at home.

She smiled at Emmett and took his hand over the table. "A bit I suppose but I'll be ok."

"Come on, I'll buy you a few drinks then we'll go to my room and I'll help you to stop feeling homesick."

Rose thought it was quite a good plan. They got up, she didn't face Alec, she didn't know what he was thinking as they came out of the dining room and crossed into the bar, sitting around the other side out of view. They talked a while, Rose telling him a bit more about her friends growing up and her first boyfriend, Mickey and Emmett told her bit about his daughter. They went back to Rose's room instead and she told him she would miss him over the weekend and Emmett slowly undressed her and laid her on the bed, this time leaving her wearing nothing and Rose helping him out of his shorts as they kissed and came together as close as they dared.

Emmett went to pack for the weekend the next morning, kissing Rose goodbye properly before going down to breakfast. She was starting to feel a little guilty about having dinner with Alec but she intended it was only going to be that – just dinner despite their kissing yesterday afternoon. There was just something different about Alec.

Alec woke up, apprehensive about his dinner date with Rose. What was so special about her? Why was he so attracted to her even when she was obviously spending her evenings with Carver? Still, there was nothing to say she couldn't change her mind about that, the man was going off and leaving her for the weekend, this was his chance to make a move on her. It was going to be a very long day, watching Carver prepare to go off for the weekend, it meant he had to work later but he'd more or less wanted more hours but not now he wanted to start meeting Rose in the coffee shop at three. Would she still agree to meet him next week though?

Rose was sitting at her desk, sorry that she was letting Emmett drive all that way on his own but she still hardly knew him, let alone go on a long journey with him. What if they argued over something and she got stranded there? No, it was better he went alone even though it would break her own heart if something happened to him while he was away. She would have felt better if he had been taking the bus instead. Now with him being away though, it would give her the chance to see how she really felt about him and Alec. Physically they were identical but they only shared some outwardly signs they were different personalities. Alec had snapped at her, admittedly for trying to share his meal and Emmett had yet to display he could do such things but since Emmett seemed to know his limits, he was probably remaining calm.

Since Rose wasn't meeting Alec until seven, she went back to the hotel to get ready and called Pete again, saying nothing about meeting anyone until she had at least established how she felt about either of them and anyway, how could she say she like both of them and they were identical? She would leave that for now. Emmett called from his destination to say he had arrived safely, which put her mind somewhat at ease. Just on seven, Alec knocked on her door, telling her she looked great in her red dress and he had managed to find somewhere to take her, opting to use the back exit to the hotel since Rose said she was uncomfortable about being seen going out since Gemma had seen her with Emmett.

Over dinner however Alec asked what she was going to do.

"Alec, I told you, I can't just abandon Emmett and pretend I don't care what happens to him because I do care. I promised I would help him and I will. Let him see what his chances of an operation are and make sure he goes for it. You said you had someone to help you."

"Yes but she was just a friend, nothing more. You could be just a friend to Emmett you know."

Rose knew Alec was starting to get jealous she spent her evenings with Emmett and wasn't sure what to do about it. "Let's just see how this dinner date goes Alec," she smiled.

After this weekend, she would maybe have more of an idea just how different the two men were, if Alec's snogging skills were up to scratch as Emmett's had been last night, now they felt more comfortable with each other and gone to sleep with Rose just wearing her knickers but losing them before they went to breakfast as they had got as close as they could again. Emmett still hadn't progressed beyond kissing her breasts and kissing her thighs, he had never repeated kissing her where she wanted it the most, on her delicate area and touching her there, he had craved more intimate contact with her.

After their meal, they had a few drinks and they walked back to the hotel, using the rear door again and Alec, steering her towards his room door. He didn't want to go into her room in case she had spent time there with Carver, he drew a line at sharing the same bed even if he was trying to share the same woman. Alec wanted more than to share her though but decided to give her time, he wouldn't have liked it if someone had lured his friend away when he'd needed one. The difference was though, he had not fancied Ellie Miller.

Once inside Alec's room, Rose wasn't sure exactly what Alec wanted. He had asked if he still had a chance but she was not going to be the one to make the first move. If he wanted a chance, he had to prove it. She didn't have long to wait as he took off his jacket and his tie, unfastening his shirt buttons and walking up behind her, kissing her neck from behind and reaching for her dress zipper, kissing her back as he pulled it down until he reached the end of the zip. She was wearing a black strapless bra as Alec reached the bottom of the gap with his lips and played his thumb under the bra fastener.

Rose thought he wasn't wasting any time as he lifted the strap and bent down to kiss under it and skilfully unfastening it with his finger and thumb and Rose thought he'd supposed to have been ill until recently but he wasn't out of practice as once he had undone it, he kissed all the way along where it had been then pulled her dress straps down over her shoulders, kissing where they had been and pulling her dress forward, taking the bra with it. Then he turned her around and whistled at her.

"You are beautiful Rose," he whispered in her ear, kissing her neck and working his way down, peeling the remains of her dress away and taking the bra with it.

Holding onto his neck loosely, she gasped as he felt his tongue touch the top of her right breast, gasping again at how gentle he was until he took her other in his hand, squeezing at her pink nipple until she felt him taking her other one into his mouth and kissing it and she leaned backwards, his other arm now supporting her and he took more of it in. Then he did the same to her other breast then suddenly, he pulled her dress down and it fell to the floor and opened his shirt. Rose lowered her arms and put them around his slim but well toned waist and he pulled her nearer so her breasts were touching him and he angled his face down to kiss her again, long and deep, deeper that he had yesterday.

Rose could feel his skin against her breasts, gasping to come up for air as the kiss continued and he dropped his hands under the waistband of her black lacy knickers, pulling her towards him, raising her up so her legs were now at either side of his, wrapping themselves around and she felt herself being lifted off the floor, supporting herself by managing to raise her arms back around his neck more tightly and gripping onto his thighs with her legs. She could feel him stirring through his trousers, could feel him bury his head into her neck, calling her name.

She had never felt like this as a strange feeling came over her and she cried "Alec" and held him tighter as her head was now on his shoulder and his hands were now under her bum, she was almost sitting on them as she felt his fingers move over the top of her legs. He dropped her slightly and Rose immediately tugged with the belt of his trousers and Alec tried to unzip them, they fell around his feet and he lifted her up again, stepping out of them, pulling her knickers all the way down and them falling down onto the floor. Her head was on his shoulder again, her arms flung around his neck, holding on as his hands were under her bum again and she could feel him shuffling her up so her knees were around his hips as she felt his growing erection against her.

She called his name again and moved against him, letting go with one arm, trying desperately to get his shorts down as she got more excited and thrilled at him pressing so hard against her. Alec lowered her again on one side until she tugged his shorts down awkwardly and she stifled a scream as she touched him, like an electric shock running through her as he was still holding on to one of her legs hooked around him. Then as his shorts fell to the floor, he picked her up again as his erection pushed against her and still holding her, he walked backwards awkwardly to the bed.

Rose whispered, "No Alec, not yet," as she realised he was about to put her on the bed and she felt him moving at her entrance as she moved with him, drawing gasps of pleasure from him, he was still holding her, her legs tucked around him as he tried to hold back as long as he could.

For Alec, he was liking the feeling but wanted to be rid of his shorts, not knowing if Rose would go for it but she did as she had tried to grab hold of them and yank them down his legs. He could feel himself pressing up against her entrance, wanting her to free him of the only thing stopping him and if she did that, she was his. He knew full well that if Carver was as ill as he had been, they would not have had sex like he wanted to with Rose. He could live with that even if after this she still chose to stay with Carver.

It was getting too much for Rose, she was calling Alec's name as she moaned as he stayed just at her entrance but she was already getting wet with the anticipation and she whispered. "I want you now Alec."

He gently, keeping hold of her, lowered them onto the bed, first Rose landing on him as he lay back and he felt her wetness over him as she rubbed against him, astride him, she was kissing across his chest then across his belly as he moved his hands over her hips downwards.

Then he flipped her over and in his soft Scottish accent he said, "My turn now Rose, I want you really wet for me."

Rose couldn't reply but she knew she was so close, it wouldn't take much more to fall over the edge into the bottomless pit. She abandoned all remembrance that she was due her monthly at some point tomorrow which was why she was partly glad Emmett had gone off for the weekend, she was usually a grouch when it came.

Alec dove down between her legs directly to her spot, he didn't need any guidance, he knew exactly where she wanted him the most as he moved his hands on her thighs, moving his tongue over her delicate folds and Rose rolling her eyes in contentment, catching hold of his bum and moving her fingers over it. Now was the time to prove the surgeon had done a good job on his pacemaker. It was strange though, despite him having a small scar after the surgery, he couldn't really tell it was there at all and he thought he would have done. Must be all the new techniques modern medicine had come up with.

He felt she was almost at her boiling point and looked at her from between her legs, diving down once more to make sure she was fully ready for him.

"Are you close for me Rose? Do you want this?" he had to ask, being in the Police.

He didn't want any false accusations against him, he'd had enough problems recently without a charge of non-consensual sex added to his not so brilliant recent past record. In his haste to get back and meet up with Rose, he had forgotten to call at the pharmacy and pick up some protection. Mainly because he didn't really think he would get so lucky on a first date. He wouldn't normally do this kind of thing on a first date but it had been so long and Rose looked so beautiful and inviting, he had thought of nothing else all evening except getting her into his bed.

Rose was thinking how heavenly it was, his tongue doing magical things to her exactly where she had wanted without Alec even asking where she wanted him the most. He had more than just a cute bum as she moved her hands to grip hold of it, trying to pull him down directly on her but he was resisting, probably to tease her but she knew he was just trying to get her more aroused and she hadn't thought she could even get more aroused than she had been but he was having a good try at it, who was she to spoil it?

She could feel herself just how wet she was, how much wetter was he trying to make her? She thought she was going to burst with the excitement then suddenly, his tongue stopped and she felt him move and the most glorious sensation came over her as his tongue was replaced by his fingers, digging deep inside her that she felt herself falling over the edge of a steep cliff as she gulped at the sensation and she was getting giddy with the excitement until finally, she knew she was ready for him and called out "Now Alec, I want you now."

Alec smiled, she was his and he knew he had beaten Carver to it, he knew something like this would have put him in hospital not that long ago, now was his chance to prove he still had it in him to fully satisfy a woman like Rose Tyler. He teased her a few seconds longer, taking his fingers away slowly, rubbing her delicate folds and once more placing a kiss before Rose felt him moving and gently he made her ready for him and placed himself at her entrance as he whispered, "I want you Rose."

When Alec touched her, she felt sparks fly, it was sensational as he started gently and worked his way inside her, going slowly as she tried to take him in all at once until they found a rhythm they could both keep up with as she desperately tried not to scream as he became harder and harder inside her that she could feel him and all coherent thoughts left her mind as she numbly tried to take all that was happening to her in until they had got so worked up that Alec felt something give and so did Rose as they were taken over by their climaxes washing over them.

Rose had never felt like that in her life and therefore hadn't known what to expect as she felt something give but she knew what it was, an unknown special feeling like a tidal wave drowning her and her gasping for air, waiting for it to pass her. She waited and the feeling wasn't going away as she trembled beneath Alec, who was looking at her and smiling, the sensation only just slowly leaving him as he gently moved away from her and turn himself onto his back.

When Rose felt herself come back to reality, she realised what had happened but she didn't regret it, it had been too amazing for words. Alec rolled onto his side and reached over to kiss her breast.

"Are you ok Rose?" he asked, reaching to kiss her properly.

Rose thought she would never feel the same again after that. It wasn't the rough quick sex she'd had before, it wasn't all the touching she had been doing with Emmett, that had been real, sensational and more than anything, satisfying and long lasting, not over in thirty seconds and then fizzling out. She had no idea how long it had actually lasted but she had only given in when she couldn't control herself any more.

She managed to find her voice at last. "Yes Alec, I'm ok, it was like I had been hit by a tidal wave, no make that an Tsunami," she smiled. It felt like it too, judging that she was still wet.

Alec looked at her and knew he had excelled himself beyond his expectations. He had satisfied her and then some more. He wasn't used to women reacting like Rose was.

"I know the feeling. It's been a while for me Rose, I was so ill I would have probably finished me off. You're my first after my operation Rose and that was your first time, wasn't it?"

Should she admit it? He probably knew he had guessed right so there was no point in denying it. "Yes Alec, it was. It was amazing, I've never felt that way before. I can still feel the aftermath, it's like I can still feel you."

"Come over here Rose," Alec said, putting his hand on her hip and pulling her towards him.

Rose rolled over onto him. "Stay with me Rose, I can make you feel like that every night, if you want?"

"Alec, I don't know, I know I haven't committed myself to Emmett, I haven't had sex with him yet although you probably already know that and with you been ill yourself, we've not even gone most of the way but you know what difference it made to you having someone there for you. I can't just leave him."

"Then I want what I can have with you Rose. If it means I have to share you, I will and I'll wait for you until you can be with me all the time. I know you can't have sex with Carver, that doesn't bother me but how will it make you feel Rose? Being with me and then going back to him?"

Rose knew she couldn't do it, not for long anyway. "It would be difficult Alec and I don't know if I could actually do it. Let me talk to him when he comes back, persuade him to go to the hospital and get an idea if he can go for surgery. He might not have to wait long then when he goes for his operation, I'll leave him. I can't stay here though, I'll have to go back home."


	7. Chapter 7

Alec looked at her, holding her in his arms and questioning her statement. "You're going back home?"

Rose saw the worried look on his face then smiled, touching his cheek and feeling his soft beard. "With you, you Muppet, you forget who I am, I can help you get a transfer back to Broadchurch or anywhere else you want to go. I have to think about it first though, I can't just up and leave without an explanation to Emmett."

Alec smiled, why wasn't he surprised she could use her influence? "Well Broadchurch had become my home and I was going to go back there before having to come all the way out here. As long as you'd come with me."

"Well, I'll have to go home first, you come with me and meet my family and see if you pass Jackie Tyler's inspection then we'll take it from there."

"I'll take any inspection you want Rose, now come here."

He rolled over onto her, making her gasp again and kissed her, well more like a thorough snogging and Rose decided he'd passed on that score. They fooled around some more and Rose got on top, taking advantage and eventually falling asleep draped over him. When his alarm went off the next morning, Rose rolled off him and reached for her knickers before dashing to the bathroom calling "Morning" after her as she closed the door. She knew she wasn't normally like that and she realised why, it had been her first time and her body was reacting to it.

She had brought the necessaries with her in case she got caught out and hoped she would get away with the fact she should not have chosen last night to be over-passionate with Alec Hardy. She came out of the bathroom, Alec was already getting dressed and he handed her dress to her, helping by zipping it up and fastening her bra. At least Alec didn't need telling about it.

"So do you want to go out today Rose? I could rent a car and we can go exploring if you want?"

"Yeah, that would be good. Do you mind though if we don't sit together at breakfast in the hotel? Let's meet at the diner down the road, the one on the corner in half an hour."

Alec stepped up behind her and put his arms around her waist, kissing her neck. "Don't you want to be seen with Rose?" he teased, trying not to be offended.

Rose spun herself around to face him. "It's not that Alec, I want to tell Emmett, gently. I don't want the town gossip to tell him for me. Can you imagine him coming back tomorrow and Gemma greeting him with a 'welcome back and by the way, Rose has been going in and out of the hotel with Alec Hardy and having her meals with him' - I just know that would go down really well."

Alec supposed she had a point. He put his arms back around her waist and kissed her forehead. "Have it your way Rose, I suppose you do owe him that much, not having it coming from the hotel owner. You go get changed and I'll wait for you in the diner."

Rose reached up and kissed him. "Oh, by the way Alec, you need to go call at the pharmacy while you're out if we're going to keep seeing each other."

Alec got the hint. "Yes I kind of forgot that, I wasn't even daring you would spend the night with me last night and I had to work over with your Emmett going away so I didn't have time anyway. I'll call on the way to the diner."

"There's no rush Alec, I'm going to be out of commission for a few days, sorry. It could come at any time, I always get a pain first which I haven't got yet but it comes on suddenly."

Alec smiled, he'd been used to that with his ex although she had seemed to have them every two weeks, being a drama queen. "It's ok Rose, I've been married, I know the routine. I am divorced. Maybe I can call and get something and we can come back here this afternoon, if it's not to late?"

Rose couldn't believe it, he was the same as Emmett in even more ways. She could only agree. She went to get changed into her comfy jeans and t-shirt, her comfort clothes and made sure she had what she needed with her and set off for the diner. Then Alec told her over breakfast about his failed marriage and his daughter, it was almost like hearing Emmett's story, she couldn't believe two men had both had cheating wives, it was more than uncanny and them both having teenage daughters. If Rose hadn't known better, she would have sworn it was the same person, like Clark Kent never being around when Superman was saving the day.

If she hadn't have been sitting opposite Emmett and seeing Alec walk into the hotel dining room, she would have every reason to think they were the same person. They left the diner, Alec whispering he had got what she requested and suggested they make use of them later. Rose had smiled and gone slightly red at the thought.

Alec walked into the car rental showroom and hired an automatic SUV and Rose climbed in beside him, thinking it strange being on the wrong side and Alec was instructed about the difference between the ways of driving in the USA, having to do everything the other way around but he had been driven around the town a couple of times and he was sure he would soon get the hang of it. The car came with a satnav and Alec wanted to know which way Rose wanted to go, so they headed down the coast and stopped in another small town, looking around and then getting a late lunch.

Rose was teasing him on the way back about road signs and daring him to sing along with her to the tunes on the radio with her, saying he didn't know the words and him getting away with it saying he couldn't sing. Alec dropped Rose off just a little further down from the hotel, telling her to wait until he knocked on her door and then drove around the back and found the car park entrance and then informing Gemma he had got a rental car. He went back up to Rose's room, it was just after three and knocked on the door. Rose let him in and flung her arms around him, kissing him.

"Let's go to your room Alec," letting go of him and picking up her purse.

"Afraid of being caught in your room Rose?" Alec smiled, grabbing her around her waist and kissing her neck.

Rose caught his arms around her waist, she was hoping her pain would stay away a few more hours or she would have to wait a few more days to be with him again.

"It's not that Alec, I'd just feel guilty and what if he came back early to surprise me?"

Alec let go, he didn't need reminding that Carver was coming back tomorrow, it could sour his mood. Still, he could make the most of it, charm Rose and make her moan his name again now that he knew she had enjoyed herself last night. This time he was prepared. They went to his room and Alec pulled the curtains over, darkening the room sufficiently but now he was going to take his time and let her lie down for him and look at her beauty.

Alec unfastened the button on her jeans, pulling her t-shirt over her head and throwing it on the chair. Rose was unbuttoning his shirt and fiddling with the cuffs and dragging it from his shoulders, running her fingers over his chest hair, then unzipping his trousers, Alec tugging at her jeans and letting them fall down.

"Are you still ok Rose?" he asked, running his fingers on the waistband of her knickers and edging them down, leaning down to kiss her tummy.

"Mmm but better not delay too much." She jumped up to hook her knees around him as he pulled them to the floor.

Alec got the hint after between them they managed to get his shorts down and she moved around while he held her up against him. He then fumbled with the package he had taken out of his pocket and turned away to sort himself out, he really hated the things but he was hoping he wouldn't have to use them for long, he would ask Rose if she would take some of the responsibility if she wanted this to carry on. He got into the bed after her, looking down at Rose and went to kiss her, first her breasts, then her tummy and then where she liked it. She grabbed his neck, raked her fingers through his hair then down onto his back as he made her moan his name, coming together to ride out their climax and Alec finally after the extra effort came away from her, Rose was writhing under him, still recovering from the aftermath, never before feeling the way she did now.

Alec moved onto his back then got out of bed to go clean up, grabbing some tissues for Rose on his way back from the bathroom. Getting back into bed, Rose rolled over on top of him as they kissed deeply and Rose suddenly had to get up as she felt a twinge of pain surfacing in her stomach and grabbed her knickers and her purse and fled into the bathroom without an explanation.

She came back out to see Alec putting his shorts on, his shirt was already on but unbuttoned. Rose went up to him, just having taken two pills for when the pain became really bad and put her arms around him.

"Sorry Alec, I had to dash, I got a sudden stomach pain and I didn't want an accidents, that would take some explaining coming from your room," she grinned, pulling his shirt back and cuddling up to him.

"It's ok Rose, I do know about it, I was married for a long time although you seem quite tame at the side of my ex, she over-did it just a bit."

Rose managed a smile, he'd seen nothing yet, wait until she really got started with her moodiness. "I'll warn you now Alec, I have my moments, like just now, I really need to lie down again."

She let go and got back into bed. She was feeling hungry but needed to take the edge of the cramps before tackling any food, it was still quite early.

"Can I do anything to help Rose? " Alec asked, throwing her t-shirt to her.

Rose put the t-shirt on and shook her head at him. "Not unless you have a hot water bottle in your room."

Alec smiled, she wouldn't find one of those around these parts. Then he remembered what his ex used to do and went into the bathroom, bringing out a bath towel folded up and crossed to the bed, putting it on her stomach.

Rose eyed him warily. "Relax Rose, just hold that until your tablets take effect."

She relaxed a little as a bit of heat started to generate and she smiled at him.

Alec went to pick up his trousers where they had been thrown onto a chair. "Alec, are you going to come back and comfort me for a while? I promise I won't throw a tantrum – yet."

He got back in beside her. "Are we going to stay here all night then?" he asked, leaning over to kiss her.

"No, I'm hungry but can we wait just a little while before we go out?"

After they made it down the street to another restaurant, Rose was feeling slightly better and managed to stay civil even though he was annoying her with asking if she was ok. Alec had to settle for more kissing and now knew how Carver probably felt. He'd been with her twice though, a slight advantage and if she was agreeable, a few times in the afternoons after he finished work next week.

After just kissing, Alec trying to take her mind off her pain, Rose was up early the following morning, she didn't know what time Emmett would be back. He had called while she was out at dinner and she had dashed into the ladies room before answering him to talk to him. She got herself cleaned up and kissed Alec goodbye, saying she would meet him at three on Monday in the coffee shop and Alec persuaded her to just meet him in his room so she agreed and said she would think some more about going home.

After breakfast, Emmett called her to say he would be back in an hour or so, he had just stopped to take a break and said he'd missed her and couldn't wait to see her and had set off early. Rose said she had missed him too but was feeling more guilty than anything else. She awaited his arrival, filling the time with calling her mother, saying she had met someone, an American detective but there was another man she liked and she wasn't sure. That would cover any eventuality if things didn't work out with Emmett.

Just after eleven, there was a knock on Rose's door and Emmett stood there, complete with his overnight bag. She flung her arms around him and kissed him, nearly knocking him over.

"Hey Rose, be careful. Are you trying to send me to the hospital already?" Emmett laughed, lifting her feet off the ground. "I missed you Sweetheart. Show me how much you missed me."

Rose literally couldn't and showed her disappointment on her face.

Emmett gathered there was something wrong.

He held her at arms length. "Ok, what's wrong? Have you gone off me already? You said you would be here when I got back. Don't you want to see me any more?"

That would have given Rose the means of possible escape but was she actively seeking it? She didn't know how she felt about Alec yet but he had more than impressed her. He was fit and well and proved he could be with her, Emmett had not yet had the chance or the health to do so. If she decided finally to go with Alec, she could still play the homesick card. If she backed away from Emmett now, he would surely stop thinking about making himself well again and it would be her fault if something happened to him.

"Emmett, of course not but I can't show you how much I missed you, not yet, I just got my monthly. You should remember what that's like for us women since you used to be married."

Emmett smiled and pulled her close. He remembered only too well, he had taken it that it was his ex-wife's refuge from him asking her for sex when she clearly didn't want it during the back-end of their marriage, she had seemed to have more than one a month. "It's ok Rose, I understand. Now come here and kiss me and I'll show you how much I missed you instead."

Rose put her arms back around his neck and kissed him. His kisses were much slower, shorter but just as passionate. He steered them towards the bed, pulling her down with him as Rose tried to unfastened his shirt buttons.

"I missed you Emmett," she murmured, kissing where she was undoing the buttons until she reached his navel then unfastening his belt and his zip.

Emmett was trying to move so she could pull his trousers off, pulling her t-shirt off as she suddenly remembered she had not put her bra back on and had left it in Alec's room, no doubt Alec would keep it as a memento and not come knocking on her door, holding it in front of her and saying she forgot something.

Emmett smiled as he revealed her uncovered breasts, had she been so keen for his return? "Mmm Rose, I missed kissing you."

He flipped her over, reaching down to kiss her breasts and then unfastened her jeans, pulling them over her hips but nothing else and leaning down to kiss across her rather delicate stomach but he made her feel better.

"That's nice Emmett, do that some more."

Emmett looked up and smiled. He was more than willing to oblige since they couldn't do much else at present.

"So Rose, how long will you be out of commission?" he grinned.

"Two or three days, I just started late yesterday."

"That's a pity, I was looking forward to spending more time with you but I guess I'll have to settle for just kissing you for now."

Emmett wasn't the only one who was disappointed now she had been with Alec properly but Alec was right, how could she fairly compare the two men now Alec had made his move? She would have to sort this and fast. She could maybe manage a few days, a week at most but beyond that, if she met Alec in the afternoons next week when she was able, how would she be able to be with Emmett in the evenings? She had opened a virtual can of worms on this and there would be no easy way out. She had been with Emmett less than a week and been with Alec even less and now she was going to have to make an impossible choice.

They went to get some lunch, walking down the street and Emmett complaining he'd only just got into the hotel car park as a black SUV was now parked there as well, Rose knowing it was Alec's. Emmett took her into the diner she had been in with Alec yesterday morning and Rose was hoping they would think she was with the same man, it wasn't like she was going in with someone who looked completely different at least. They then went for a walk on the beach, Rose wanted to walk in the water but Emmett stayed on the other side of her, holding hands and carrying her shoes.

While they were walking, Rose made her plans. She couldn't keep deceiving Emmett, he was much too nice to her and her only way out was to let him down gently and at least stay until he had an operation. They sat on some rocks down on the beach and Rose took his hands.

"Emmett, I was talking to my mum, well I called her that, she's like a mum to me and I miss them, my family especially little Tony. I really think I might want to go home very soon, even if only for a while."

Emmett looked very disappointed. "I thought we had something Rose. Won't you stay with me, a bit longer?"

"Emmett, I won't leave until you have your operation, ok?"

Emmett leaned forward to kiss her. "If you really mean that, yes but you have to promise you'll at least think about coming back."

"I will. I hadn't planned on staying all that long anyway but I also hadn't thought I'd meet anyone like you. Maybe I'll get back home and miss you like crazy and come back but I need time with my family if I'm going to stay out here with you."

"That's all I want Rose, for you to think about it and if you have to go back, I understand." He leaned over to kiss her again.

Now she was hating herself for having to make the choice - to go back with Alec.

The next three days went slowly for Rose, she went to Alec's room on Monday afternoon but they only kissed, just the same as she was doing with Emmett. When she was ok again, she explained to Alec she couldn't take responsibility for protection if they carried on, she had never been able to take anything due to her not being from this universe, sometimes she was late and she had put it down to the time differences between the two worlds but she told Alec nothing had agreed with her so Alec said he would for now and they would talk about alternatives if they stayed together.

When Emmett came back on Wednesday afternoon, he had some news for Rose. He had spoken to his own doctor and was being referred to the local hospital on Monday with view to him having an operation.

"That's great Emmett but won't you have to tell your chief now?"

He hadn't thought of that, he would have to use his police medical insurance to fund the operation. "I'll see what the hospital says first, I still might not be able to have it done. If they say I can go ahead, I'll reach an agreement with the chief that I'll be able to go back to work afterwards."

"Then I'll finish work Emmett, I'll come with you to the hospital and look after you until you go in. I only go to work to have something to do anyway, I don't really need to."

"If you're sure, I'd like that. If my assessment goes ok, I'll just work mornings until I go in."

With that settled, she now had to tell Alec that she was going to stay until Emmett went in hospital and was going to make the arrangements to go back to London and asked if he still wanted to go with her.

"Of course I want to come with you Rose, I don't think I'll really settle down here so if you make the arrangements and get me re-instated at Broadchurch and come and live with me there, if you want?"

Rose wanted. "We'll visit London while things get sorted and before that, I'll get Pete to arrange your transfer back through official channels. Then it doesn't look like you're coming back with me. I don't want to hurt Emmett, he doesn't deserve that."

Alec took hold of her. "It's ok, we can wait a while. If he goes in hospital, I'll have to take over for a while until they get someone else in. They'll probably get that other detective back and if my transfer back home comes through, they'll have to manage until he gets but I'm coming back with you Rose."

Alec didn't want to tell her that for the last few days he had been getting more jealous of Carver, knowing he got to stay the night with Rose. He had tried to stay out of the man's way but he understood how Rose felt. She was torn between him and Carver, who could blame her when they were identical, it wasn't the ideal situation but he knew now, he was going back home with her and what she told Carver as to her reasons was up to her. He wasn't jealous of Rose as such, it wasn't her fault.


	8. Chapter 8

Alec had been moody all weekend, not seeing Rose since the Friday afternoon when he had made use of his recent purchase, thrilling Rose to the point she couldn't take any more as she had writhed below him, calling his name and raking her fingers through his hair.

Rose spent the weekend with Emmett, driving up the coast and staying overnight at a little inn. On the Monday, Rose went with Emmett to the hospital, getting the go ahead for his operation. He was told it would be scheduled for the following Monday and he would have to go the day before for complete bed rest.

Emmett went back to work to see the chief and told him he needed medical leave to go for an operation and since his police insurance needed to be used, he had to tell him why.

"You can only come back when you've been cleared by the medical officer and then you'll have to go on light duties. Really Emmett, it's bad enough that Hardy has been sent over here because he's just been in the same situation as you, are you two twins or something with identical problems?"

Emmett was not amused.

"Well Emmett, if you want to work light duties until you go in fine, you take afternoons, I'll put Hardy on mornings and I'll get Miller to come back in when you go on leave but you don't come back until you are fit – understood? You can start tomorrow."

Emmett had to agree. Keeping him out of trouble was going to be Rose's job, if she was willing to take him on. Rose was not happy he had chosen to work instead of resting but he pointed out it was only afternoons and he would rest on Saturday and be in the hospital on Sunday. So while Emmett was working in the afternoons, up until Friday, Rose continued to be with Alec, making plans to go back to London.

Rose made the final arrangements with Pete, that Alec's transfer was to be received officially on Monday with immediate effect and they would leave on Thursday, a day later than planned but Rose said she was still going to visit Emmett in hospital after his operation until the day before they left. Alec said he could live with that, knowing he was going back with her. So Tuesday afternoon, she had gone to Alec's room after she had met him in the diner.

"It won't be so bad Alec, it's only a few more days after all. You've been through all that, you said yourself that it would have been better if you'd had someone to care about you. You're the only one I've really been with, Emmett and I just keep each other company, he needs someone to make sure he keeps that hospital appointment."

"I know that but do you have to stay every night with him?"

Rose smiled, she knew Alec had become more jealous over the last week or so. "You have me in the afternoons now. He knows I'm going back home and if we don't leave together, he won't know. If you finish at the precinct, I'd let you move your things into my room until we leave but maybe Gemma might tell Emmett when he comes back so just pay for your room until then but we'll leave the hotel at different times and meet up, get a cab down the road to the airport maybe?"

"No, I'll keep the rental car and leave it at the airport and we'll drive there. I'll pick you up around the back of the hotel. Are we going back by plane or zeppelin? Zeppelins take longer, we could get a cabin for the journey maybe?" Alec snuggled up closer to her. "I know how we could pass some of the time." He leaned over to kiss her.

Rose pretended to swat him away and giggled. "Mmm, I just bet you do. Seriously though Alec, we need to talk when we get back. You need to understand why it has to be you that takes the precautions and I know we've talked about it before but there are other reasons why it can't be me."

"I'm trying to understand Rose but I have to keep going to different stores," he half joked.

The other half was using the things, something he detested almost as much as being on the water and was only doing as she asked.

Rose knew it was a touchy subject, she knew he didn't like it and had tried to joke about it but had she been in her own world, there would have been other alternatives but there was no option here other than to have minor reversible surgery which a lot of woman opted for, it was a walk-in/walk-out service that only took an hour with local anaesthetic but she wasn't sure her body was even compatible with that. She'd had so many changes while she had been here, she was also ageing the same rate as anyone else in this universe, she was actually in theory three years younger since it had been three years from their first visit to her coming here permanently and something she could never get her head around no matter how long she had been here. Pete had kept records, changing what was necessary like her birth certificate and such likes but it had not been easy for her.

How could she expect Alec to understand when she couldn't tell him apart from telling him where she came from? She may have to risk telling him some of it. Rose and Alec had one last afternoon together on the Friday, she was spending Saturday with Emmett to make sure he actually went into hospital and she wasn't going to take any chances of him changing his mind. After she left Alec, going back to wait for Emmett, she thought about calling Pete even though it was late back home. She sent him a message but got no reply, it would have to wait.

Sunday morning, Rose took Emmett to the hospital and got him settled in. He was leaving his belongings at the hotel and he had some things to tell a worried Rose.

"Rose, if I don't make it, I want you to promise you'll stay for my funeral," he said, taking her hands as she sat as close to his hospital bed as she could.

Rose was starting to get upset at what he was trying to say. "Don't go saying that Emmett, you're going to get through this. I'm not leaving until I know you're going to be ok."

Emmett squeezed her hand. "I've made all the arrangements Rose, I'm leaving everything to my daughter and my lawyer has instruction to arrange everything. Take this card and contact them if I don't get through this."

He handed her a card on the bedside cabinet. Rose was feeling terrible that he was talking this way and didn't want to hear it. Did he really think he wasn't going to get through this? Why had he agreed to go ahead?

"Emmett, if you're not going to survive, why are you even agreeing to go ahead? Why not just stay on your medication?"

"Two reasons really. I won't get any better, only worse and the medication won't prevent me from getting further attacks, I've already had a few before I came here and one stupid thing I do, I probably won't survive next time plus I'll get weaker and have to stop working, get invalided out. This way I have a 50/50 chance."

"And the second reason?" Rose asked.

"You Rose, you made me see I could have a second chance and I'm going to go through with this in the hope you'll come back one day."

Rose started to cry.

"Don't cry, I wouldn't have stood a chance if I hadn't agreed to go through with this. It could happen at any time, that's why I was careful with you. I only made my mind up when I met you."

Rose got up and leaned over, kissing him as best she could. His operation was the next day, she had less than 24 hrs to finally decide if she was going back home with Alec or staying with Emmett. She hadn't yet told Alec or Emmett she loved them nor had either of them told her they loved her but for some reason, she was now beginning to realise Emmett needed her more than Alec did. How could she go back and leave him in hospital?

The nurse came and told her she should leave him now, the doctor insisted he had complete rest and they were going to lightly sedate him to ensure he was ok to go ahead tomorrow morning. She asked for a few minutes and kissed Emmett goodbye, saying she was going to be there in the morning when he went down for his operation.

Rose went back to the hotel and went to Alec's room. "I'm going to stay at the hospital tomorrow, until he comes out of surgery. I have to know he's ok before I leave."

Alec took hold of her and held her close. "It's ok Rose, I know you won't leave until you know. Let's go out for dinner then come back early. I know you'll probably have to leave early in the morning."

"Yeah, I promised I would go down to the operating theatre with him and stay until he comes out. I promised if he didn't make it I would go to his funeral, he's taken care of everything."

Alec remember doing something similar himself. After they went for dinner, Rose called the hospital to ask about Emmett and was told he was resting and being monitored. Rose said she would be there in the morning and to make sure she would be allowed in as Emmett had put her on his admission form for her to be allowed to visit at all times.

When Rose and Alec got back to the hotel, Rose decided she was going to give Alec the chance to say he loved her but wasn't going to be the first one to say it. Alec unzipped her dress and lifted her up, Rose put her arms around him and then unfastened his shirt and he lifted her over to the bed. Once she climbed in, Alec once again retrieved a packet from his pocket but he was getting tired of putting them all the time, he wanted Rose somehow to either tell him to stop using them or get something else done, he was going to suggest she went for the surgery when they got to London.

It wasn't that he didn't want another family but they hardly knew each other and he wanted to spend some time with her before going down that particular road but he didn't object to maybe in a year or two to start to raise a family with her, maybe even in Broadchurch, it was as good a place as any to raise children.

Rose was always thrilled by what Alec did to her, he made her feel the way no man had ever done before but as Alec got out of bed to clean himself up, she couldn't help but think of poor Emmett lying in the hospital, wondering if he was going to live or die tomorrow. Emmett had told her it would happen sooner or later, he was gambling with his life tomorrow but at least now he had some control over it, not ticking like a time bomb waiting for it to happen.

Alec came back to bed and Rose just curled up on him and went to sleep, setting her alarm for six thirty to be at the hospital for seven, it was only a short cab ride away and she wouldn't be able to eat, she would be too worried to eat. She slipped out of Alec's bed at the first alarm and hurriedly got dressed, she had brought other clothes with her the night before. She kissed Alec goodbye.

"Rose, I hope he makes it, I really do. I know you can't leave just yet."

She kissed him goodbye again and said she didn't know what time she would be back and Alec said he was meeting Emmett's replacement who was being brought back early and was hoping his transfer back would come through. Rose assured him he would get it today, despite the time difference and that when she got back, she needed to talk to him and then they would arrange their travel back to London.

Rose arrived at the hospital, going onto Emmett's room but he was already being prepared to go down to the theatre but Rose asked if they could have a few minutes.

"Well this is it Emmett, don't you go making me wait too long. I'm not leaving until you're back in this room."

Emmett was not feeling as confident. "You might be waiting a long time Rose."

Rose was getting tearful again. "Don't say that Emmett."

"Rose, I have an even chance now, more than I did before you made me realise I had to do something. I was doing it for you but since you're leaving, I'll just have to do it for myself and hope one day you'll come back. If I make it and I'm no longer in Gracepoint, I'll leave word at the precinct where I've gone. Come and find me, I'll wait for you. I'll be here for the rest of the six months."

Just then, a nurse and an orderly came in and said they were taking him down to the theatre. Rose followed them, unable to get near him to hold his hand. It wasn't fair, she loved both of them but she knew she couldn't settle here, not permanently. Was it fair though she was leaving when Emmett needed her? Doubt was creeping into the back of her mind. They stopped in a corridor and he was left for a few moments so Rose took the opportunity to go up to him.

"I'll be here when you come out." She leaned down and kissed him awkwardly as his breathing tube was in the way and he took her hand.

"Rose, please think about staying, I love you."

Before Rose could reply, the orderlies started towards him to take him in.

Rose called after him. "I love you too Emmett." She didn't know if he had heard her or not.

She stopped a nurse as she was about to follow them in. "Please, if he's still conscious, tell him Rose says she loves him."

The nurse nodded and went through the door. Rose was left, she went to seek the coffee machine and found it around the corner, she'd had nothing to eat or drink but she needed some coffee if she was going to wait there for hours. Since she was out of range of the theatre and could use her phone, she called her mother and told her she was at the hospital with a friend. Jackie obviously knew now about Alec since Pete had been making arrangements to get him transferred and the two of them back home but Emmett had just said that he loved her, Alec had yet to say it.

"I don't know what to do Mum, I love Alec but he hasn't said he loves me yet and I'm supposed to be coming home with him on Thursday but Emmett, the other detective I liked, the one that's in surgery, just told me he loved me before he went in. The first men I meet in a long time and I can't choose."

"I can't choose for you Sweetheart, you have to make your own mind up. Which one is the better looking?"

Trust her mother to ask that even though she had re-married and Rose hadn't told her they were both identical and they both looked like The Doctor. Now was the time to tell her.

Jackie was not surprised and just said, "Trust you to find the only two men in the universe that look like that alien."

Rose had to smile. "I'll let you know how Emmett goes on, sadly I might not have to make a choice."

Rose ended her call and went back to wait outside the operating theatre and prepared herself for the worse. How would she react if they came out and told her he didn't make it? If Alec could have been there she might have felt better but it was impossible, how would the hospital staff react to seeing the double of the man inside that room?

After what seemed like days instead of hours, the door opened and one of the surgeons came out.

"Miss Tyler?" Rose just nodded.

"He's going to pull through, the operation was a success. It's up to him now. He's being taken to recovery, the nurse will show you the way. He listed you as his next of kin if anything was to happen to him."

Rose didn't know he had done that. He didn't have to. He had an ex-wife and a daughter, had he even told them he was considering surgery? Did they even know he'd been ill? More importantly, had he signed the form before she told him she was going home and thought she was going to stay with him? She didn't know now if she still wanted to go home. She sat beside Emmett's bed and held his hand, waiting for some sign he was waking up. She suddenly felt a grip on her hand as she was dozing off, around four in the afternoon. He had been out a good part of the day.

"Hey, I thought you were watching over me?" Emmett smiled as she sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

"Hi, you're back with us then? Guess I'm stating the obvious since I'm talking to you."

Emmett linked his fingers with hers. "I got your message Rose and I heard you as I went in. Why do you think I held on? It's not just because I'm stubborn."

"Well I thought you hadn't heard me, I wanted it to be the last thing you heard before they knocked you out."

"Rose I meant what I said, please don't go."

"Emmett I have to think about this. Let me go home and decide. If I decide to come back, I'll come back to you. I can't stay here without seeing my family first."

"Then wait until I get out and I can travel, I'll come with you. At least think about it."

Rose leaned down to kiss his cheek. "I'll think about it Emmett. I have to go now, I've been here since seven, I'm hungry."

Emmett smiled. "Ok Rose, you go. See you tomorrow? When were you planning on leaving?"

"I'm supposed to leave on Thursday. Look Emmett, you'll be in hospital for a while. Why don't I go home for a couple of weeks to think it over and come back before you get out?" That was a reasonable request that would give her time to think and to see if she really wanted to be with Alec.

Emmett thought about it. "Ok Rose, you have a deal but if you change your mind and stay, you know where to find me."

Rose kissed him goodbye and got a cab back to the hotel and ordered some food, she was hungry. Then she went up to her room.

Alec had not had a good day either. He expected his transfer back home to come through then remembered the time difference and had to wait for it. He was pacing his office, trying not to make it look too obvious he was waiting for something. Then to make things even worse, he met Carver's replacement – Detective Ellie Miller. He hadn't believed it when they were introduced. First Carver is his double and his love rival then if that wasn't bad enough, he's plagued by his new partner with the same name as his ex one. He had been relieved when the chief had called him into his office and showed him a copy of his transfer papers back to Broadchurch. Rose had kept her word. Maybe tonight he would finally admit to her how he felt.

He was glad when the day was over. He walked back to the hotel and saw Rose eating in the dining room but went upstairs to wait for her, just nodding to her. When she didn't arrive, he went to knock on her door. Rose let him in.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose greeted Alec. "Hi Alec, sorry, I was waiting for you. I thought you'd call for me." Rose let him in and put her arms around him. "So did your transfer come through then?"

"Yes although I had wait most of the day for it, I'd forgotten California is eight hours behind. I'm finally out of there although something funny did happen before I left. The detective that we replaced, she had the same name as my ex partner back in Broadchurch. Can you believe it Rose?"

Rose smiled. "Well you didn't have to work with her for long. You never asked me Alec."

Alec looked at her and said, "Sorry Rose is he ok?" He might be a rival for Rose's affections but he knew what the man had just gone through and Rose's face was neutral.

"He's going to be ok."

Alec put his arms around her. "He'll pull through then, I did. Do you want to go out later?"

"Maybe. Alec, can I just have a few hours to myself? You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not, just call for me when you want to go out. I'll go grab something to eat then we'll go out for a drink later."

Alec let her go and opened the door. They both had a lot to think about. Alec was going to get up the courage to tell her how he felt, he'd been trying to put it off but if he didn't get a move on, he would lose her to Carver. Carver was vulnerable right now and Rose may pay him more attention so it had to be tonight or tomorrow night that he told her. If he left it any longer, he may be going home on his own.

When Alec left, Rose lay on her bed. She was tired from sitting around in the hospital all day and getting up early. She was also confused with her feelings, she was torn between two identical men but Emmett had said he loved her and asked her to stay or at least go away and think about it. She hadn't even taken that into consideration when saying she would go back with Alec. She had only said it because she didn't want to hurt Emmett by staying there and being with Alec in front of him. Why had she fallen in love with both of them?

After about an hour, she called the hospital to see how Emmett was doing and went to Alec's room. They went out of the back exit and down the street to another bar and had a few drinks. When they got back, they went to Alec's room and he said they should start packing tomorrow.

"I'm going to do mine on Wednesday Alec, I want to spend some time at the hospital tomorrow. I have to try and at least explain why I'm going home, he knows nothing about us and he can't. It wouldn't be fair on him, he's just gone through a lot. You remember what it was like. I'll say goodbye to him on Wednesday morning and then I'll be ready to go on Thursday."

Alec went to unfasten her dress and then laid her on the bed. "It's alright Rose, you do what you have to."

Alec once more went to prepare himself, knowing it was the last in the packet and wondered if he should purposely forget to buy more. Rose might be mad at him but she wouldn't totally refuse him, she hadn't on that first night. As he came away from her, Rose was making moaning noises under him and he smiled. He might have been rejected by his ex but Rose wanted him, he had got her in a state that she always came back for more.

Rose went off to see Emmett the next morning after breakfast and he was looking better than the day before but still hooked to the machines. She kissed him awkwardly again and sat with him for a few hours, just talking in general. Then he asked her if she had thought about staying or if she was still leaving.

"I think I should still go Emmett, I can't think about it while I'm still here. If I stay, there are things you still need to know about me."

"It's ok Rose, we all have little secrets, I'll have to tell you mine," Emmett smiled, taking her hand in his.

Rose kissed him goodbye, Emmett said again he loved her, it had not been the anaesthetic talking yesterday. Rose said she loved him too, she hated leaving him and going back to Alec, if Emmett found out she didn't know what he would do. Later that evening, she had Alec in her room and she decided now was as good a time to tell him where she came from. She sat opposite him on a chair and started by asking him if he believed there were other universes out there and when she got a good response, him saying he supposed so, told him how she had got there originally, by accident and how she got back, courtesy of the Cybermen.

Alec responded well, he couldn't deny about the Cybermen, everyone wondered where they had gone, five million or so Cybermen just didn't disappear into thin air. Then she told him about her really being Rose Tyler before she was adopted and he listened again, saying he believed her. Rose was relieved, she thought he was going to just leave. That wasn't where it all ended though as Alec wanted to go to bed and revealed he had forgotten to go to the pharmacy.

"Rose, it's only one time, come on. Do we really have to use them every time? You know I hate those things. Why don't you see about getting that procedure when we get back to London?"

Rose looked at him. "I don't know if it will work on me Alec and I can't take the pill, my periods are all over the place. In case you've not just been listening to me, I'm not from this world and my body reacts differently. This world runs ahead of where I come from."

Alec looked confused. "How can it?"

Rose explained the differences. When she had come here, there was a three year difference, possibly even more now, she never worked it out. "I can go for months the same then it all changes on me. Sometimes I never know where I am."

Alec was having a hard time keeping up in what she was coming out with and didn't know what to think any more. "So you're trying to tell me that I have to be the one who takes the precautions?" He wasn't that happy about it, he thought she would at least offer to share the responsibility.

He moved nearer and nudged her to kiss him and put his arms around her waist. "Come on Rose, it's just for one night."

That was easy for him to say. It had been over two weeks since her last monthly but she never knew where she was. She felt ok and seemed to have got away with their first time.

Rose moved away from him. "We agreed Alec, maybe we should just leave it for tonight, you go to the pharmacy tomorrow."

"They're getting to know me in there. There are only so many places I can go, it's not like being back home. Come on Rose, let's not go to bed angry at each other. We'll compromise, I promise to behave myself if you let me at least sleep without my shorts on."

He moved nearer and pulled her close. "What do you say? At least think about seeing if you can have the procedure done?"

Rose didn't want to go to bed after a disagreement either. "Ok, I'll think about it. Tomorrow I say goodbye to Emmett so I may be out for a while."

Alec said it was ok and they got into bed, just enjoying each other. Before they went to sleep though, Alec had more questions for her, about the time differences between the two universes and asked how it was possible. Rose dared to ask him if he thought travelling in time was possible. He sat up in bed, reaching for his shorts. If he was going to have this sort of conversation, he was not doing it naked.

"What exactly do you mean by travelling in time Rose?" Alec asked, passing her knickers to her and moving away.

"What I said. We all travel through time when we go on a plane or a train through different time zones, either we go back a few hours or forward a few hours when we reach our destination but what if you could go backwards or forwards 100's or 1000's of years? That man I told you about, the one who stayed behind, he was a time-traveller, he had a time machine. That's how we got here the first time, the ship crash-landed." She could see it wasn't going down very well.

"Let me get this straight Rose, he travelled in time. You went with him?"

Rose nodded, hoping he would just accept it. He didn't, he just shook his head. "Rose, how can you expect me to believe that? I can believe about the Cybermen, crossing into your universe, they had to go somewhere but why can't you just admit it Rose? You got here the same way, there was no first time, you got stuck here and it wasn't three years, you got here the same way they escaped."

"Alec, I can prove I was here before, just talk to Pete, he has the proof. Why do you think he came over to help us?"

"Rose, maybe he did go over to help you because he found out where they were going there, followed them and went to warn you but you crash-landing here before, I'm sorry Rose, I can't go for that."

Rose was disappointed. He didn't believe she had been here before, it had been too much to ask of him. Alec got out of bed and started getting dressed. "Are you sure you don't want to change your story Rose?"

Rose was stunned, it was not a story and Alec wasn't even prepared to get proof it was the truth. "Just talk to Pete, he'll tell you it's all true and my mother will."

"Rose, you told me a made-up cover story of how you were adopted by the Tylers, how can I believe anything else? Another universe, it's possible but I'm sorry, I draw the line at actual time travel and you travelling around in a time machine."

Rose sat in bed, reaching for her t-shirt she kept by the bed in case she got up during the night. What else could she say? She had tried to convince him, he was a Police Officer, he should have believed her but she should have just left it, not tell him the rest.

"Alec, can't we talk about this? At least let Pete talk to you?"

"What for Rose? If he puts a cover story out about you, he'll naturally back you up. I'm grateful you helped me get that transfer back to Broadchurch but there is the matter of me having to take all the responsibility when we're together, I don't think you'll agree to having anything done when we get back and I'm not ready for any added responsibilities, not yet. I'm sorry Rose, it's best I just leave."

Rose couldn't even find any tears, she was shocked he would just leave in the middle of the night. She needed to talk to her mother. After a lengthy conversation with Jackie, who told her if Alec couldn't accept what she had told him she was better off without him and asked what she was going to do about the other one, what's his name?

"You mean Emmett Mum," Rose managed to laugh although she actually felt like crying. It was after midnight and she was tired. "I'm going to go to the hospital in the morning and tell him I'm staying. When he gets well again, I'll think about telling him some of it but if Alec was anything to go by, I think I'll just leave it, unless he wants to know."

"Well Alec can't have loved you if he couldn't accept your past, what makes you think that Emmett will?"

"I don't know just how much alike they are, maybe Emmett will be able to accept it but I'll stop before I send him running."

She still had another chance with Emmett, if she didn't blow this one as well. What upset her the most was the fact she'd had her first time with Alec, how could she tell Emmett that when they finally got together? She would have to hide any trace she had been with Alec, she would say it had been with the Doctor.

Rose tried to get back to sleep, tossing and turning, spending her first night alone since her arrival and not liking it. The next morning, there was no sign of Alec and she didn't ask Gemma, just telling her she was staying for now but Gemma had some bad news for her.

"Sorry Rose, I thought you were checking out on Thursday. Alec Hardy left this morning and I've already booked his room again. I've got someone arriving on Thursday. Tell you what though, since Emmett Carver's room is being held for him, if you get him to contact me and give you permission, you can move in there, he's paying for a double room."

Rose said she would do that, Emmett would be more than happy she was now staying. When she arrived at the hospital, Emmett was indeed more than happy she was staying and they began making plans. Rose said while he was still in hospital, she would look for somewhere to rent, a ground floor apartment or single storey house, either short term rent or a vacation rental. Emmett said a vacation rental would be better so Rose could move in before he was discharged and they would look for something later.

"What made you change your mind Rose?" Emmett asked as Rose sat on the edge of his bed, hoping she wouldn't get told to move by the staff.

"You, you told me you loved me and I realised I couldn't just go and leave you. I'll wait and we'll go to London together, we'll take a zeppelin, it's more relaxing but I still need to tell you things, when you get out."

"I'll listen, what ever it is. I'm glad you decided to wait for me to go back with you."

Rose stayed a lot longer, she had no-one else to get back to – Alec was gone. He hadn't wasted any time, he must have made his own arrangements. The day she was supposed to have gone back with Alec, Rose got Pete to cancel her travel plans and explained to him about Emmett, leaving Pete slightly confused and slightly amused that his stepdaughter must be the only woman in either universe to find two versions of the man she left behind let alone have both of them fighting over her. Rose stayed in Emmett's room, moving her things before ten on the Thursday morning after Emmett spoke to Gemma briefly to say it was ok. Rose told him she would start looking for somewhere the following week.

She looked around a few properties the following week, taking videos on her phone and showing them to Emmett, finally finding a single storey house that was available for six months so after a little persuasion, Rose got Emmett to trust her on it and she took it.

She was finally given permission to take Emmett home and Rose decided it was time to lay down a few ground rules.

"Emmett, we need to clear a few things up now you're getting well again and the first rule is – no sex until you're given the all-clear that you're fit again."

Emmett pretended to sulk but he knew she was right, he wasn't fully fit yet. He had to agree.

"We'll gradually work up to it but you need to know something, I can't take precautions, for a few reasons which I'll explain to you, so it will have to be you. Are you ok with that?"

"What kind of question is that Rose? What do you take me for? Of course it's ok, did you really need to ask?"

Rose felt guilty. "I had to be really strict with my last boyfriend, he wasn't keen on being the one to take the responsibility, that's partly why we split up." It was half the truth and she hoped he wouldn't ask too many questions.

Instead, he came up close and put his arms around her. "It's ok Rose, I understand but it's going to be a while yet anyway. Let's just spend some time together before we need to start thinking on those lines. What do you say?"

Rose agreed and they went to lie on the sofa, just glad to be back with each other again. Emmett, kissed her forehead. "I missed you Rose."

Rose snuggled up to him as they lay on the sofa. She had missed him too, just being with him and no pressure and she wondered if she should have ever got involved with Alec Hardy. Over the next few weeks, Emmett was allowed to go out gradually, they would take a cab to the market and a few shops and stop and have lunch. Emmett was only on half pay so Rose was relying on her allowance but Pete had increased it so they wouldn't struggle and Rose's ticket home was still valid. When they were ready to go to London, everything would be arranged for them.

Emmett was feeling much better but still under orders to take it easy but they got closer every night and he decided he would ask why she had stayed with him when they couldn't have sex. Rose was reluctant to tell him but he leaned over on his elbow, tracing his finger on her breasts and said he wanted to know.

"You're not my first Emmett, I was reluctant because I never thought I would find anyone else. You were too ill to bother about it so I was happy you wouldn't pressurize me."

"Rose, I'm not a fool, it's something else, isn't it? Tell me. Was it the man you said you'd lost? The one who left you?"

That could have described the Doctor or Alec, they had both left her. Rose could only nod. "I did loose someone, years ago but I lost someone more recently than that." She couldn't say when but Emmett seemed to already know.

"It was Alec Hardy, wasn't it? He got to you when I was going in the hospital."

"No Emmett, I didn't know how you felt about me, you never said. It just happened. I swear Emmett, I never meant to hurt you, when you said you were going in hospital, that you were having your operation, I changed my mind. I realised it was you that I loved, that's why I stayed."

She expected him to get up and leave, just like Alec had done. He sat up. He'd had a visit from his chief whilst in hospital and been told that Hardy had suddenly got a transfer back where he had come from. It had coincided with Rose's plans to go home.

"Were you going back with him Rose? Were you even planning on coming back?" He was really trying to understand why she would leave to go back with Hardy.

Rose could have denied it, say it was just a coincidence but that wasn't her style. She was going to have to tell enough half truths as it was.

"Emmett, I was going to go but I told him some things about me, the things I have to tell you and he didn't accept them. He went back on his own. We argued, he never said he loved me but you did, you said you loved me. I was with you every night Emmett, you know that. It was a big mistake, I know that now."

Emmett looked at her. He got it. "Hardy was using you, to get a transfer back home and who better to help him than Rose Tyler, well connected and able to use her adopted father's influence to get him home."

Rose took the lifeline. Maybe Emmett was right, that was why Alec didn't want to know. "It was that weekend you were away, he asked me to dinner on Saturday night and we had a few drinks, it got out of hand. I met him at the coffee shop after work a few times, we talked and he wanted to go home. I said I could help him. It was a big mistake Emmett, I'm sorry but it wasn't him, my first time, it was the man I lost."

It was true, she had loved Alec and lost him, he had been her first, it wasn't a complete lie. Emmett would never know.

Emmett leaned back on the pillow, at least he hadn't got up out of bed yet but would he believe it? She had been a fool, Alec had been right, spending time with him and Emmett didn't mix. Rose leaned back too, not knowing how he was going to react. She had probably lost both of them now, it was all falling apart. Maybe she should just give up and go home, this wasn't meant to be in any universe with any version of the Doctor.

It was Rose that got out of bed. "I'll leave in the morning Emmett, you can stay here. I'll pack my things and get a cab to the airport and go home. I don't deserve you, I'm sorry."

Emmett caught her arm. "There's no need to leave Rose."

Rose thought he was going to leave instead. He didn't, he moved over and pulled her towards him. "Do you love me Rose?"

"You know I do. I love you Emmett."

"Then come here. I'm sorry. I was just jealous. If you say Alec Hardy wasn't your first and it was the man you lost, that's good enough for me. I just wish you would have waited until I'd been better. Tell me you didn't know he was using you to get back home."

It was true, she hadn't thought about it that way. "I swear I didn't know Emmett."

Emmett leaned over and put his arms around her. "Then I still love you Rose. As soon as I can travel, we'll go to London and I'll meet your family."

"Well in that case, there's something you need to know."

She told him where she came from, the Cybermen, coming here but she left a few things out, like being here before and travelling in time. She would get Pete to tell him that if he thought it was necessary. Emmett listened and felt sorry for her, ripped from her own universe and brought to live here, even if it was to save her and her mother's lives. She told him how the Doctor stayed behind, the man she had loved. Alec's version sounded much more believable than her own, she just had to get Pete and her mum to go along with it.

Emmett held her, saying he was sorry she had been trapped here and when he found out that everyone had a double in her universe and there had been no Rose Tyler here before she came but he couldn't work out why there were two of him in this universe. Neither could Rose. There again there were actually three if you counted her favourite actor who also existed here but that had been the case in both universes, there must have been a Alec Hardy and an Emmett Carver back in her own world she supposed. She didn't know any different.

Soon Emmett was well enough to travel so they took the zeppelin back to London, everyone in the Tyler extended family, including Jake and Mickey had been told what Rose had told Emmett, there had been no first trip here, they had come to get away from the Cybermen and she and the Doctor had been an item. Mickey had always thought they were anyway, it was only them two that hadn't known it even before he'd changed and they knew not to say who Emmett looked like.

Emmett was welcomed to the family, even passing the Jackie Tyler 'to slap or not to slap' test. They stayed for a month as Emmett was planning on going back to work and it was arranged Rose's family would come over to them for Christmas. Emmett kept his word, never complaining about using protection, he was just happy to finally be with her.

Two days before Christmas, the Tylers arrived. Fortunately, Rose had the sense to rent a two bedroom house and Emmett went out and bought a camp bed for Tony and he squeezed in his parents room. Jackie had insisted on helping with the cooking as Emmett was back on part-time hours. On Christmas eve, Emmett was warned to wear shorts and a t-shirt before he went to sleep because Tony would be up early. Emmett didn't mind just the once but before they went to sleep, he had something to ask her.

"Rose, we've been together a while now and we've known each other for six months, how about I stop you know, using those things in bed? What do you say? You gave me another chance at life Rose, I want a family with you, if that's what you want?"

Rose smiled. "Yes Emmett, I do want. You can stop wearing them if you want but I don't know what will happen since I'm not from around here."

"Well I know that, I'm just glad you chose to be with me in the end. You are the impossible woman Rose, you shouldn't exist."

All Rose could say was "Tell me about it."

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

Emmett decided to stay in Gracepoint, working alongside Detective Miller, who Rose made friends with. By March, Rose discovered she was pregnant and Emmett was overjoyed. They decided to stay in the house they were renting until such times as they extended their little family. Rose had a bit of a difficult time with her pregnancy but she put it down to her not being from around these parts but she got through and at the beginning of December, when they had been together for around 18 months, Rose gave birth to a boy. Rose was given the all clear and they boarded a zeppelin with a private cabin for the flight to London.

Rose however did not know Emmett had been plotting with her parents to arrange a big wedding on Christmas eve and was in for a surprise. Just after six, Rose put the baby down in a cot Pete had brought into their room and set up the baby monitor. She was told they were having a party, unusual because Tony was always up at the crack of dawn on Christmas day but Rose supposed he was older now. One of the staff was going to keep an eye on her son and keep the monitor with her and only find Rose or Emmett if the baby wouldn't settle again.

Rose got changed, glad she had lost all her weight and Emmett was more hindering than helping her get dressed quietly, standing behind her and kissing all the way along her neck. She had been out shopping with her mother the day before, not knowing there was a party coming up and not bringing anything to wear, Jackie had persuaded her to buy a lovely off-white satin dress with pink rosebuds, knee length and some cream flat shoes.

Emmett told her she looked beautiful as he stood behind her looking at her in the mirror.

"Rose, this is my second Christmas with you, I didn't think I would have had even one with you and here we are, here in your old home, with our son. You've made me very happy Rose."

Rose turned around and looked into his deep brown eyes. How could she not love him? Why had she been a fool with Alec Hardy and given herself to him and not Emmett? If only she still had the Tardis, she could make it right.

Then Emmett went into his inside jacket pocket. Rose thought he'd gone in for something else, she had been told she could go back to normal when she felt like it but instead, he brought out a powder blue small box and opened it. Rose clasped her hands to her mouth. It was a three stoned diamond engagement ring and Emmett got down on one knee.

"Rose Tyler, will you marry me?"

She didn't need asking twice as she held out her hand and he slid the ring on her finger. "Yes Emmett, I love you."

Emmett got up and just said, "I'm glad you said yes or your mother would have to cancel the wedding," he laughed.

"What wedding? I thought we were having a party tonight?"

"We are, for our wedding, your mother has been planning this for weeks. Everyone is waiting for us, the officiator is waiting downstairs. Now I'm going downstairs and your dad is going to escort you down. I love you Rose."

Rose sat down on the chair, staring at the newly placed engagement ring. Emmett Carver did not do things by halves. He must have been plotting with her mother on the phone, probably while she had been in hospital, she'd had to stay in a few days while the baby put some weight on.

A knock came on the door and Pete came in, trying not to wake the baby, who had just been fed and put down before they had got changed.

"Rose, I never imagined when I first met you I'd be doing this. I know you haven't told Emmett everything and I back you on that but I can show him the proof, if you want?"

"No Dad, I made that mistake once, I'm not doing it again at my wedding. I love Emmett, him and the baby are my life now, the past is behind me. I don't want him to know."

"I respect that Rose but you weren't to know how Alec Hardy would react. Now, there's a hall full of guests downstairs that have been invited to a wedding. Are you ready?"

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

After a short honeymoon, the baby staying with his doting grandparents, they flew back home and Emmett received a promotion after Chief Morgan announced his early retirement. Now Emmett was expected to wear a uniform but he was never was one to comply and everyone got used to him. He had been told it was unusual for a detective to go straight into the chief's job but both he and Rose suspected he'd had some help from his new father-in-law.

Rose sometimes wondered what had happened to Alec Hardy.

Well that's where the story gets interesting because despite Alec Hardy having all the memories of his past life, he wasn't who he appeared to be. Shortly after arriving back in Broadchurch, Alec Hardy received a call leading him to a garage in one of the back streets down by the harbour and upon entering found an odd telephone box that was painted blue and said 'Police' on it and although he'd never seen one before as they had not existed in this world, he felt something hot in his pocket and almost dropped a glowing yellow key. Since the box in front of him had a lock, he curiously put the key in the lock and opened the door. What he saw did not make any sense. He walked up to what seemed like a console with a green column of light and saw an envelope addressed to Alec Hardy. He picked it up and underneath was a pocket watch with strange symbols on it and he could hear voices and a crack of golden light coming from it. The key was just one on a bunch and the caller had just left a message for him.

He opened the envelope and brought out a single sheet of paper which read:

Alec Hardy – open the watch and you will remember everything.

Signed The Doctor.

PS. I know how stubborn you are so just this once, do as you are asked.

PPS. Yes I know you don't want to do as you are asked and I know you're going to leave and walk away so just let your natural curiosity take over and open it. Ask yourself where the key came from and how you knew to come here today.

That did the trick, Alec Hardy was taking nothing from nobody, especially this 'Doctor'

He opened the watch and was surrounded by a bright light and his own voice, many of his voices telling him everything. Then he remembered what he had done to Rose. He had come to take her back through a fluke he had come across and had arrived in her future and he had lost her again - to Emmett Carver. He just hoped she was happy. When he flew back to his own universe, more stars had gone out.

The End


End file.
